White Chocolate and Strawberry Cupcakes

The winner of the poll is........ WHITE CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRY! I must admit I voted for hummingbird, but I was excited to make these cupcakes. I did get started on these cupcakes yesterday morning. When I finished, I only had time to do a few chores before my boyfriend came to pick me up to go see his band play. Sorry this is a little late. Anywho... bring on the cupcakes!!

ingredients delicious batter!! At this point, it was everything I could do to not eat it all right out of the bowl!
a little too golden brown, thanks to brand new pans... frosted and ready for their sweet counterpartswhite chocolate & strawberry cupcake topped with (what else??) a white chocolate covered strawberry!

I took 8 of these cupcakes to my mom and her co-workers. The consensus was that the cupcakes were overbaked and dry. That's probably because I used new Wilton pans that are darker than my other pans, and I forgot to lower my oven temp by 25°. Other than that, everyone loved the flavor of the cupcakes and the frosting. If you like strawberries and white chocolate, PLEASE make these. They're really good.
UPDATE: After sitting in the fridge for about a day, these cupcakes got even better! They are really delicious when they're cold. Also, I ended up picking the white chocolate chips out of my cupcake. I'm a picky chocolate eater, and I used Nestle chips against my better judgement. I'd suggest using a better quality white chocolate chopped into tiny pieces, as opposed to run-of-the-mill brand chocolate chips.

Recipe from 500 Cupcakes:

MY NOTES: I used 2 teaspoons strawberry extract (instead of 1) in the cupcakes. Check the cupcakes at about 18 mins (instead of the recommened 20). I got 19 cupcakes (instead of 18). The frosting is too loose to pipe. I had about a cup of leftover frosting.

White Chocolate & Strawberry Cupcakes
Simple yet sophisticated - and perfect for a summer picnic!

for the cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp. strawberry extract
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz.) white chocolate chips

for the frosting
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. sweet butter, softened
3 tbsp. chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, and strawberry extract in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped strawberries. Spread frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Store unfrosted in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen