Strawberry cupcakes with Strawberry Icing

I have this cake stand.

In the spirit of valentines day I decided it needed to be put to good use holding some delicious Strawberry Cupcakes with an even more fantastic strawberry icing (it tastes just like strawberry ice cream!!)

I'm pretty proud of these suckers.

Hubby gave me the best compliment when he ate them too!!

"These are possibly the best cupcakes I've ever had!!"

So I smiled, and handed him another.

(warning: if you pipe the icing on them as I have in the above picture, strawberry bits will get all through your icing tip preventing you from doing more then 3-4 cupcakes this way... just to give you the heads up... they sure do look pretty like this though don't they?)

Strawberry Cupcakes

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups, thawed, chopped frozen strawberries

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/4 cup juice from thawed strawberries (or however much you get from thawing your frozen berries)

3/4 cup milk (or however much you need to give the juice and milk a combined measurement of 1 cup)

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Chop your strawberries and set these aside as well. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy then add the eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Add the flour in 3 parts alternating with the strawberry juice/milk, starting and ending with the flour (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Fold in your chopped strawberries. Bake for 20-25 min in a 350 oven.

Strawberry Icing

1/2 cup, thawed, chopped frozen strawberries

1 cup butter

1/4 cup juice from thawed strawberries (or however much get from thawing your frozen berries)

1/4 cup milk (or however much you need to give the juice and milk a combined measurement of 1/2 cup)

6-8 cups icing sugar

Combine juice/milk, butter and 4 cups of icing sugar and beat until combined. Add the strawberries and remaining icing sugar until you get a consistency you like (it's ok if the strawberries get a little broken up while beating)

Enjoy!!