strawberry cupcakes

I made these yummy little treats for our Valentine's Day. They are tasty! And, the frosting is heavenly! WOW!

Yield: about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes-
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. oil
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. chopped strawberries (next time I think I'll puree them instead; I'm not one for chunks of fruit in my cupcakes, but I had to try it as the recipe said at least once)

For the frosting:
1/2 c. strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 t. lemon juice
1 T. vanilla

Cupcake directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line cuipcake pans with paper liners.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking sida into a medium bowl. Set aside. (I don't normally "sift" unless really necessary. I this is one of those "necessary" occasions. It's worth it!)
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in chopped strawberries.
4. Fill cupcake wells 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting directions:

1. Puree strawberries in food processor. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove seeds (I didn't do this, and it was fine). Set aside.
2. Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla and strawberry puree. (Adjust the amount of puree to achieve your desired consistency.) Frost cupcakes when completely cool and EAT THESE UP! SO YUMMY!