Fresh Strawberry Banana Cupcake Recipe: Best Cupcakes Ever!!

Today grocery shopping I found some great looking fresh strawberries, and this got me thinking about what I could use them for. I had to hurry because my family loves strawberries and they would be gone in a few days. So I sat down with my daughter and we decided to make cupcakes (she loves cupcakes).  But we didn't stop at just strawberries we added some banana too. A strawberry and a banana just seem to go together. Of course she helped me every step of the way. When she finally tried one she said it was "the best cupcake ever". Hence the name. Strawberry Banana Cupcakes: Best Cupcakes Ever. The hardest part for her was waiting for the strawberries to come to room temp. The icing is a cream cheese frosting and I will put the recipe for that at the bottom.

Here she is helping me stir ↓

Strawberry Banana Puree Ingredients:

• 18 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled (you can use frozen strawberries if you prefer)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1-2 tsp sugar

Strawberry Banana Puree Recipe: 

• Mix fruit with sugar and cover for 1-2 hours to let the fruit get room temp and juicy
• Puree in a blender or food processor

She got to push the buttons for this too ↓

Cake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of Strawberry Banana Puree
• 1/2  cup milk, at room temperature
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp

Cake Recipe

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake tin. (I used liners but you certainly don't have to.
• Mix puree, milk, eggs, and vanilla together until well blended and set aside
• Mix cake flour, sugar baking powder and salt together.
• Add butter to dry ingredients and incorporate until mixture resembles a crumble.
• Add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix on medium for 1 minute or until completely incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the bowl with a spoon and continue mixing for another 30 seconds. (If you are not happy with the color of this batter you can add a few drops of food coloring to make it a little more red or pink)
• Divide batter into cupcake tins evenly (about 3/4 full)
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
• Let cool completely then put on the icing and enjoy!! (You can also cut up a few strawberries and put them on top. I even tried a strawberry rose for the first time.)

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

• 4 oz cream cheese softned
• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup Strawberry Banana Puree (can omit if you would prefer) 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

• Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth
• Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and incorporate into creamed mixture until all sugar is incorporated
• Fold in puree and top cupcakes. (I use a baggie to pipe the frosting on)

Finished product ↓

Here's one with the strawberry rose I made ↓

We had a lot of fun making these. We always do when we cook together. It is a great way to get her involved in the kitchen and it teaches her to take turns because she has to take turns with me to stir. We are always experimenting together in the kitchen so you can look forward to many more recipes to come!

Please share this and comment if you like the recipe. And you can always check me out on Google + or Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/amber.mccann.35 I am always posting recipes and so much more!