Sour Cream Triple Threat Cupcakes

So, I know I'm running a Fall Cupcake Poll, but I couldn't wait, so I rummaged through my kitchen to see what I had on hand and created a great Cupcake to bid our Summer farewell. The ONLY ingredient I didn't have was LINERS, but that wasn't gonna stop me :) I baked 'em up muffin style :)

Sour Cream Triple Threat


Cupcakes:
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup boiling water (i used hot tap water)
• 1/4 cup shortening or butter (butter crisco)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (you can always use dark cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, combine boiling water, shortening, sugar, and cocoa. Beat until sugar is dissolved. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the beaten egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Fill greased and lightly floured cupcake cups about half full. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.  Makes about 12 cupcakes.

Filling:
*Make sure to start this as soon as you take the cuppers out of the oven!!!

• 10-15 minced strawberries
• 1/2-3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/2 squeezed lemon
• splash of vanilla
• around 4 TBS cornstarch in about 4 TBS cold water

Prep:
Slice berries into saucepan. Pour sugar and squeeze lemon over berries. Turn heat on high and stir till simmering boil. Prep and thoroughly mix water and starch. Pour starch mix into strawberry mix and turn off and remove from heat- while stirring.  Filling will be nice and thick.

Cool the cupcakes just enough to take a serrated knife to cut out a round-triangular shape out of the top of the cupper about 1/2 inch deep. I then spooned into each cupcake, the yummy strawberry filling and let them cool for 30 minutes.


Sour Cream Icing :

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Stir in confectioners' sugar, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

I placed the icing into a decorating bag, cut the tip at 1/4 of an inch and swirled on this awesome icing and topped them w/ chocolate sprinkles.

Drool over my progress- I know you will!

Just placed in the oven...

Just out of the oven

Beautiful red strawberries...

Steaming, delish-berry filling...

making room for the yummy berries

"muffin bites"

(taken to give you depth perception)

berries in the middle waiting for their icing

TA DA!!!!!  The icing on the (cup) cake!

what they look like on the inside

These were seriously the fastest and easiest cupcakes to make, and the recipe's are DEAD on.

There was a nice, even blend of flavors- not one more so than the other, and the icing is LIGHT and tangy- bringing out more flavor from the filling and chocolate cupcake.

I'm interested to try this with the dark cocoa powder, or make more of a fudgy cupcake, but the chocolate could easily overpower and lose the other flavors.

A very light, TOTALLY yummy cupcake and a perfect Ode to Summer :)