Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes♥

Amanda Cupcake & Strawberry Shortcake.

 ♥

BFFS.

Made possible by a cupcake dream that came true.

I sandwiched summery strawberry hopes and wishes in between layers of vanilla deliciousness.  The pink sprinkled dots were definitely an Amanda Cupcake touch.  But I have to give the credit to Strawberry Shortcake for the delicious strawberry sandwich idea.

See what I mean?

This is inspiration for my strawberry shortcake cupcake creation.

It's kind of like my mission of uniting cupcakes & pie.

When I finished decorating the cupcakes...

I couldn't help but notice that the pink swirl on top sprinkled with pink dots looked just like one of my fave celebrities from the 1980s.

My childhood in a cupcake, that is now in my hand.

♥

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake-how to bake it yourself ♥

(If you really want to channel your childhood, dust off that EZ Bake Oven)!

To keep it simple, you can doctor up a cake mix:

The Best Vanilla Cake Mix (if I use cake mixes at all, I use Duncan Hines).

1 or 2 Vanilla Beans

1 1/4 Cup of Buttermilk (in place of water)

1/3 Cup Oil

3 Eggs

• Pre-heat oven to 350.    Line Cupcake Pan with appx 24 Cupcake Liners.
• Mix Cake Mix, Buttermilk, and Vegetable Oil in Stand Mixer.
• Open and scrape vanilla beans into batter. ♥
• Gradually add Eggs into mixture until well blended.
• Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so all ingredients are incorporated.
• Fill Cupcake Liners about 2/3 full and bake for appx 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean.

For Strawberry Goodness Sandwiched into your cupcake:

Strawberry Gelee (recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Chewy Creamy)

1 Cup Strawberry Puree

¼ Cup Sugar

1 T Lemon Juice

2T Cold Water

3 T Strawberry Jello

½ Cup  fresh summery strawberries, diced!

1.  Puree your strawberries (I use a blender and that works wonderfully).

2.  Now you can heat your strawberry puree & sugar in a small saucepan.

3.  Add lemon juice-then remove from heat.

4.  Combine cold water and gelatin in a small bowl.

5.  This water and gelatin combo will need to sit for 5 minutes.

6.  Add your strawberry puree/sugar blend to the water/gelatin combo and stir until gelatin dissolves.

7.  Stir strawberries into mixture and let this chill for 1-2 hours before sandwiching into your cupcake.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

by Amanda Cupcake.

1 lb unsalted butter

5 T of strawberry jelly or you can use 5 T of the strawberry gelee that you already made.

1 T of Vanilla Extract

3Tof Heavy Whipping Cream

3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar

**To help blend the strawberries into the frosting, use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer for this recipe.

Directions:

1. Using your stand mixer,  mix your unsalted butter until it looks fluffy and creamy.

2.  Gradually add strawberry gelee, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream.

3.  Once all ingredients are incorporated gradually add powdered sugar until you reach the consistency desired (the more powdered sugar you add the thicker the frosting will be).

Share your dreams, and they will come true.

I've always been a really big advocate of writing down my goals & dreams.
And I've *always* promoted the sharing of dreams.
If you share your dreams, you are automatically handed a responsibility to make them happen.
Then they become real.

Dreams can change, or unexpected things can happen.
But that is what gives life color and meaning.

I didn't really have a "final" plan for this cupcake. ♥
So did it turn out how I expected?
Not really. But it was a very much loved cupcake.
Loved by me and the family who ate it.

I have created cupcakes since I was 16 years old.
I remember the first cake I made for my brother.
It was a fun mess.

But I was experimenting.....and sharing my dreams with my brother.
And we partied with Toastman, Pokey, Gumby and friends.
The cake was like a dream to my brother.
And he was one of the first people who told me that one of the favorite things I ever made for anyone was my cakes.

He gave me the confidence to keep creating....making mistakes..practicing..
I don't think I've ever told him this before.

Most of the time my cakes looked really cute, but didn't taste very good.
(They were overly sweet).

I just knew that cake was this "medium" for me to create the most amazing form of art.
The kind of art that can make you laugh.
But also the kind of art that can warm your stomach, body, and soul. ♥

I remember when I came up with my first real "beauty" that tasted delicious as well.
The first success of a birthday cake I made for my mom.

She still tells me this is the favorite cake I have made her.
And this was made about 10 years ago. ♥



So you see.. you don't need to always follow the rules.
Follow your own pattern, be proud of who you are, and find comfort in your soft skin.
Nothing works better for *you* than being..well..*you*

I've had people giggle at me because I do things "differently."
I've dropped things.
Made messes that were difficult to clean up.
Felt a little more like "I Love Lucy" than Martha Stewart (which I still do to this day!)

But it all seems to work and come together beautifully.

I think after years of sharing my dreams, I've found one that really fits me.
If I can finally piece together everything I love in life on top of ..or as a surprise in the middle or on the bottom of a cupcake, I know there are millions of people who can find that one thing that makes them special too.

A handwritten "love" letter I received from a new friend this week.
We met through a cupcake delivery.
This shows what can happen if you share your dreams.♥

Rosewater Cupcakes

My friend Amy was having a little party at her house this last weekend.
It was a candle party.
So I thought I should make something elegant..and pretty.
But still delicious.

Rosewater Cupcakes!
What do they taste like?
Like you are picking a rose out of your garden and eating it with some sugar, lemon, and fluffy-ness.
Sort of makes me think of a fairy tale..or something Alice In Wonderland would do.
Eat Rose flavored cupcakes!

It was a different endeavor for me, but nonetheless-a success!

Amy devoured her mini rosewater cupcake and I heard a muffled "MMMMMMMmmMMMM" in a mouth that was full of cupcake and lemon-y buttercream frosting.

My favorite part of creating cupcakes for people is watching them get lost in this cupcake trance as they enjoy the fabulous delish.

Let me describe this cupcake trance:

The eyes glaze a little and stare into space.
Suddenly, beautiful music plays in your head.
All you care about  is the "oh" moment of the indulgence. ♥
This is one reason out of thousands to love life.

Tastes like a rose with light lemony frosting & a sparkly rose petal floating on top.