White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

 
Along with the raspberry checkerboard cake I made for our MOPS meeting, I also whipped up a batch of these beauties for the thank you luncheon for our MOPPETS helpers. Yes, I know, they really aren't beauties, at least not when you compare them to the ones I saw that sparked my desire to bake them. But you win some and you lose some, right?

What I loved about these cupcakes was that they don't use a box mix (not that I'm against box mixes, I just wanted something that said I put a little more effort into their thank you) but they are super simple to make. The white chocolate cupcakes went off without a hitch. The frosting. however, is another story.

I made an entire batch of strawberry cream cheese frosting and an entire batch of white chocolate cream cheese frosting. You can see from the title of the post which one dominated the cupcakes and which one I will be making again. Don't get me wrong, the white chocolate frosting was heavenly but it couldn't stand up to the strawberry cream cheese. I even followed the suggestion of putting both frosting flavors in separate baggies and then putting both bags into a pastry bag so that they squeezed out simultaneously without mingling in the bag. Totally did not work for me. The strawberry, probably because it was a bit wetter and therefore not so dense, squeezed out easily while the white chocolate didn't make its appearance (no matter how much I squeezed) until the last few cupcakes.

Whichever frosting you chose, both will compliment the white chocolate cupcakes well. Enjoy!

Side Note: I had A LOT of leftover frosting. I was disappointed that I added 7 cups of powdered sugar and I still didn't have a stiff frosting that could stand up during piping. I would definitely only make half of a batch of frosting next time and not worry about the piping consistency so much.

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Sources: Fake Ginger from Baking Bites

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped white chocolate by heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Stir well with a fork between each interval and cook only until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding in some of the milk and some of the flour mixture, ending with a final addition of flour. Mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-23 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup strawberries, food processed or blended
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
7 cups powdered sugar

Using a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add mashed strawberries and vanilla and mix until combined. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until it reaches piping consistency.