Happy Little Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

Or, you don't have to call it a recipe.  You can call it Making Cupcakes with a Strawberry Cake Mix and Mostly Ignoring the Directions on the Box.

I know, I write about cupcakes all the time.  But what better treat is there?  No knife, fork, or plate required.  Just pop them in your mouth.  Delicious.  So it's sort of my life's passion to make cupcakes and figure out how to make them more delicious and what to fill them with.  Sometimes, it doesn't take anything fancy to get an awesome result.  These strawberry cupcakes are the perfect example of that!  I made them for our women's group at church since it was my turn to pitch in refreshments for our meeting. They're sweet, delicious, and perfect for spring.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Strawberry Deluxe Cake Mix (Ignore the rest of the ingredients on the back of the box)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 box Jello Vanilla Pudding Mix

Filling:

• 1 Jar Smucker's Simply Fruit Strawberry

Frosting:

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all cake ingredients together.  Beat with electric mixer two minutes, or until well combined and smooth.
3. Fill cupcake liners with batter.
4. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.
5. Use a pastry bag with a star tip to fill baked cupcakes with Simply Fruit Spread.  My experience - the more Simply Fruit per cupcake, the more delicious.
6. To make frosting, cream butter and cream cheese together.  Add vanilla.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar, little by little.  If it gets too stiff, add a teaspoon of milk (or water, if you're out of milk like I am).  If you have a little extra Simply Fruit, I often add that to the frosting.  Don't add more than a tablespoon or so.
7. Frost completely cooled cupcakes.
8. Ta-Da!  Delicious, pink, sweet, strawberry filled cupcakes.

I've also filled these with vanilla pudding instead of the Simply Fruit - both ways are delicious.  These would be perfect for Easter brunch!

And the last picture is of my finished cupcakes in the world's greatest invention - my cupcake taker!  Everybody needs a cupcake taker.  There's just no other way.