Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

My cousin Margo is finally getting Married.  I am so excited for her.  She had her Bridal Shower at my parent's house.  I asked Mom if I could bring cupcakes.  This is how desperate I am to make cupcakes.  I have to ask people to make them for their party.

I made two dozen vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate ganache filling topped with strawberry buttercream and little pink chocolate "M" monograms.  I should have gone with a different color for the "M".  Pink on Pink does not showcase the "M" for Margo well enough.  No, not one bit.

White Chocolate Ganache

• 1 part chocolate
• 1 part heavy whipping cream
• Chop up white chocolate bar or use white chocolate chips. Heat cream in saucepan to near boiling but not burning.  Pour hot cream over chocolate and stir until melted.  Refrigerate to cool.  Then here is my favorite part: Whip it. Whip it good.

I used 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy whipping cream which made exactly enough filling for 24 cupcakes.  I could have had extra cream if I had not eaten so much of it during the process.  But it was so tasty. 

J helped by piping out the pink "M"s for Margo.

This is the Parchment Paper Piping Bag J made.  It was a grand accomplishment on his part.

Folding them can be tricky. 

Strawberry ButterCream Frosting

• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup butter – softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbs heavy cream, milk, or water – Mix with beater
• 1 Tbs Meringue Powder
• 4 cups powdered sugar – Mix with a beater 1 cup at a time.
• 1/2 cup food processor strawberry puree
• Add more heavy cream or powdered sugar for the right consistency you want

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 and ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs vanilla
• 2 and ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 and ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 1 and ¼ cup whole milk or Vitamin D milk
• Cream sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients.  Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk starting and ending with milk.  Stir to combine.  Bake 350°F for 15-18 min

I use an apple corer to remove the middles.

Then pipe in the white chocolate ganache filling.

Finally top it off with strawberry buttercream and some white candy sprinkles to give them some sparkle.

Sparkly Pink Bridal Shower Cupcakes.

With the cupcake centers and extra frosting I made a few pink cake pops to snack on with the rest of the dessert tray.

My trio of Bridal Shower desserts:  Cupcakes, Strawberries and Cream, and Cake Pops.

Along with Mom's Mexican Wedding Cookies we had a complete set of pink and white goodness.  It wasn't all sugar though, a veggie tray was provided.

Ofcourse, who wants celery sticks when you can have cupcakes.  Not this little cupcake obsessed sugar fiend.  Nope. No sir.