From Birthdays to Bake Sales, These Cupcakes Go To The Head Of The Class

There's a certain Patch editor who has a birthday this month.  That's right, our esteemed editor, Heather Collura let it slip when she gushed about the best cupcake she ever had way back on her fifth birthday. Vanilla cake piled high with strawberry frosting and lots of rainbow sprinkles.  Some kids remember their party, some remember the presents, but everyone remembers the cupcakes.  So, Heather, this one's for you.

These strawberry cupcakes have a secret one-two punch.  The same jam is in the center of the cupcake (like a jelly donut) and also mixed into the homemade vanilla frosting. While the cupcakes are baking, fill a squeeze bottle with strawberry preserves. Amy Tip: It helps if the preserves are heated in the microwave, but not too much! When the cupcakes are out of the oven and cooled, squeeze a little jam right into the center. Cover the hole you've made in the top of the cupcake with  the strawberry frosting. 

Once you've mastered the squeeze bottle, the variations are endless.  How about grape jelly in the middle and peanut butter stirred into the frosting for the ultimate bake sale treat? Or melt chocolate chips instead of jam, then mix more into the frosting. If you're not wild about strawberry jam, any flavor will do, just make sure it's not too chunky. Whether it's a birthday, bake sale or just because, one bite of these luscious beauties and you'll have lasting memories too.

Jam-Filled Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Cake

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup whole milk

3/4 cup seedless strawberry jam

plastic squeeze bottle (found at most craft stores)

 Frosting

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

¼ cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam

2 tablespoons whole milk

• Cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Sift together flour and baking powder and add it to the batter.  Evenly divide into lined muffin tins.
• Bake 20 minutes until cupcakes spring back when touched.  Cool slightly.
• Heat jam in the microwave to soften, about 30 seconds.  Place in a squeeze bottle.  Insert the bottle into the middle of a cupcake about 1 inch down.  Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of jam into the cupcake.  Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
• Frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.  Add jam and milk.  Frost cupcakes.

Patch food columnist, Amy Currie, a mother of three and teacher at the  Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills, is the author of Memoirs of a Home Cook, Every Great Recipe Has a Story and her latest cookbook, Secrets of a Home Cook. You can e-mail her at summitpatchdish@gmail.com.

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