Birthday Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

make the strawberry puree

1. Trim the tops from the strawberries and slice them in half. Add them to a high speed blender like Vitamix, or a food processor. Blend until they're smoothly pureed. Put the puree and lemon juice in a medium sized heavy saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to medium and let the puree boil for about 20-30 minutes until it is thickened to 1/2 cup. Watch carefully and stir often with a silicone spoon or spatula so it doesn't scorch. Scrape the thickened puree into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled. This is going to be the strawberry component of your frosting. Note: feel free to make this puree a day or two ahead.

for the cupcakes

1. Line 12-cup muffin tins with muffin tin liners and preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with electric mixers, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
4. Add the almond or vanilla extract, and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Be sure to beat thoroughly and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go to get everything incorporated. This is a lot of batter and and lot of eggs, so it needs to be well mixed at this stage.
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, in about 2-3 batches. Once the flour mixture has been added, don't over mix the batter! Just mix it enough so that there are no streaks of dry flour remaining.
6. Divide the batter into the muffin tins by filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-22 minutes until the cupcakes are risen, and the tops spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Be careful not to over bake these.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely before frosting.

for the strawberry frosting

1. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting, I use my stand mixer again for this, but you can use electric beaters if you prefer.
2. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and strawberry puree (1/2 cup) together, then start adding the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. You should end up with a creamy thick frosting. If it seems too thin, beat in a little more sugar. If it seems too thick, add a bit of milk or lemon juice.
3. When the cupcakes are completed cooled, pipe or spread generously with frosting.