Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

There are some recipes that make you plain giddy. This is one of those recipes! And I frosted cupcakes fancy for the first time in my life too. Everything about this made me feel like I conquered the world. :-)

I made these for my brother's birthday this weekend. I missed his birthday this year partly because he was out of town and partly because I was in the middle of packing and moving. So I wanted something a little more special for him this year. When I asked him what he wanted, he said strawberry cheesecake. So when I came across this recipe, I knew I was going to make this recipe for him.

These cupcakes have a graham cracker crust, strawberry cream cake center, and cream cheese frosting. So it's technically not a cheesecake (thank you, brother, for pointing this out!), but all the flavors combined, it had a cheesecake flavor in a cupcake. These were absolutely spectacular, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to makes these again!

The recipe said that these make between 16-18 cupcakes, but I got an even 24 out of them with the graham cracker crust and the cake center. I had a little bit of frosting left over and I'm thinking of ideas of what I can use them in!

Make this recipe and share it with those you love! There will be smiles all around!

My brother and me in San Francisco

Strawberry cream cake batter

About to go in the oven

Right out the oven

Love these chunks of strawberry

Beautifully frosted cupcakes

These cupcakes are rockstars!

Three gorgeous layers of yummy

Close-up of the frosting

Another close-up of the center

Served with Icewine!

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake
Slightly adapted from The Girl who Ate Everything


Graham Cracker Crust:
2 sleeves of graham cracker crumbs (about 18 whole crackers)
8 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
2 Tbs. of sugar

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature ( 1 1/2 sticks)
1 c.  + 2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. sour cream
4 large egg whites
2 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped (and more for garnish)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8 oz.) packets of cream cheese, room temperature (16 ounces total)
16 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 16-18 muffin tins with cupcake liners. (I got 24 cupcakes out of this recipe.) Mix graham cracker crumbs with butter using a food processor.  Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the crushed graham cracker into the bottom of each prepared muffin tin. (I ended up getting about 4 Tbs per cupcake, which worked out perfectly.) Press down using fingers and bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned.  Remove immediately from oven and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and then add the vanilla and beat on a low-speed. Then add half the flour mixture until incorporated then mix in the sour cream or yogurt. Add remaining flour and mix until just blended.

In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks appear, about 3-4 minutes, be careful not to overbeat. Set aside.

Gently fold 1/3 of the egg into the batter until combined, do not over mix the egg whites or the cake will fall flat. Add remaining egg and fold in the chopped strawberries. Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way and bake for about 20 minutes depending on your oven. You can test to see if they are done by sticking a toothpick through the center, if it comes out clean it is ready to take out!

For the cream cheese frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar slowly in small batches, beating on low speed until incorporated. Once all sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy. Refrigerate for 1 hour. When ready to serve, spread icing on cupcakes or use a pastry bag with a star tip. Garnish with freshly cut strawberries and graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate until ready to serve.