I have always been a chocolate kind of girl. Always. I think its because chocolate is always loyal and always tastes good. I also don’t want to make something new and be utterly disappointed. So starting this blog has been a teensie bit scary. Honestly, I’m just terrified of everyone seeing my failed attempts at food photography! So as I learn the ropes I’m venturing out and munching on other things besides just chocolate chip cookies. I’m exploring a little more and so far I’m loving it. These Strawberry Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting were created for my husband, Chris. He’s a strawberry kind of guy.
I’ve never made strawberry cupcakes before, so naturally I just googled “best strawberry cupcakes” and prayed I found a blogger that was telling the truth. So with fingers crossed, I baked the recipe from Kara’s Party Ideas. So delicious! The recipe called for fresh fruit and preserves mixed into the batter which I loved. They came out super moist and you got these yummy little pockets of tangy fruit in every bite. To compliment these lovelies I wanted a really light frosting. Definitely made with whipped cream. I went with whipped mascarpone frosting from Martha Stewart and I fell totally in love. It’s sweet enough to mingle with the flavors in the cupcake but doesn’t overpower at all. To garnish them I made a fresh, herbaceous basil sugar. It was incredibly easy to make. Just throw 1 cup of granulated white sugar into a food processor with 3-4 leaves of fresh basil. Pulse until its incorporated and bright green. Of course you can add as much as you want of the basil. The fragrance that hits you right when you open the food processor is enough to make you drool. So this is my new favorite love. Basil sugar. I can’t wait to see what desserts I can work it into.
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