Cupcake Confession

I have to confess something. I'm a little nervous about it, because I'm afraid I'll be shunned from society. I hope you won't judge me too much. Please keep an open mind.

I am not a big fan of cupcakes.

I know. Gasp and all that. But here are the things I'd rather eat for dessert than a cupcake:

Pain au chocolat (preferably in Paris)

Chocolate mousse pie a la Julia Child

Chocolate chip cookies

No-sugar apple crisp

Chocolate souffle a la Julia Child

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Blackberry and Pumpkin Pie

Cupcakes just really aren't my thing. I'd rather eat a piece of cake. Is that weird?

Still, I know other people love cupcakes, and they make for a rather convenient birthday treat. When two of my coworkers had birthdays in the same week, I looked around the web (okay, Courtney's blog) for some inspiration and baked up some surprisingly delectable cupcakes.

I used the leftover cake batter and frosting to make a mini cake.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Not my most beautiful frosting job, but I was pretty sleepy

I started with Courtney's chocolate buttermilk cupcakes. Then, I wanted to make her peanut butter cream cheese frosting, but I didn't have the magical peanut butter cream cheese she mentioned in her recipe. So I copied her recipe but added 1/4 cup peanut butter. Viola!

• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese until blended and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

My mother-in-law said they taste exactly like a peanut butter cup!

Strawberry-Filled Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm a just-a-little-bit-of-frosting gal, but you can certainly add more!

For these guys, I made a basic yellow cake from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. (I always recommend using a homemade batter instead of a box!) 

Filling Inspired by this recipe

• 1 cup strawberries, hulled
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor or blender until desired consistency. I added extra strawberries at the end to get some bigger chunks of fruit in there.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup strawberry filling (above)
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add strawberry filling. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. 

To fill the cupcakes, slice out the center of the cupcake and save half of what you remove. Pour all the filling into a plastic bag and snip off a small corner of the bag. Fill each cupcake, then replace the cake you removed. Top with the frosting and enjoy!