Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I always tell girlfriends who can’t cook — “Ladies, there’s only 3 recipes you’ll ever have to learn to win over any man’s heart: the perfectly seared steak, killer mashed potatoes and these Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes.”  I’m not much of a bragger or anything but people have told me this was the cupcake that changed their lives.  THIS was the cupcake that opened their eyes to a new wonderful world of possibilities.  THIS was the cupcake that made my husband fall utterly and madly in love with me (and of course for OBVIOUS other reasons like my killer high heel collection).   

I featured this recipe back in the day on the blog but back then I was more of a blogging newb.  Now with a couple years of experience under my belt I’ve improved the recipe with step-by-step pictures to go along to ensure that my readers get a flawless result every time.  Because I know I’ll be getting thank you letters and e-mails, attributing this Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe to the birth of peoples first child, or inducing sudden marriage proposals after consumption, or being the star of the party for bringing those “BOMB DIGGITY CUPCAKES”.  Don’t lie, you know you really wanna be that girl.  And guys, I won’t judge you if you made a batch of these to win over that cute girl you’ve been eyeing in your history class.  She’d be stupid not to date you after tasting these.

Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes – serving size 16-20 cupcakes

(Prep time: 45 minutes; Total cooking time: 2 hours)

• 1 package graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 Tbs), room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup + 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 4 large egg whites
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & coarsely chopped

 

Preheat oven to 350 F and line 16-18 muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Mix one box of graham cracker crumbs with butter using a food processor.  The mixture should hold together when pressed with fingers, add more butter if needed.  Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the crushed graham cracker into the bottom of each prepared muffin tin.  Press down using fingers and bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned.  Remove immediately from oven and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks appear, about 3-4 minutes, be careful not to overbeat.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder & salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until light & fluffy and then add the vanilla & beat on a low-speed.  Then add half the flour mixture until incorporated then mix in the sour cream or yogurt.  Add remaining flour & mix until just blended.

Gently fold 1/3 of the egg into the batter until combined, do not over mix the egg whites or the cake will fall flat. Add remaining egg and fold in the chopped strawberries.  Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way and bake for about 20 minutes depending on your oven.   You can test the doneness by sticking a toothpick through the center, if it comes out clean it is ready to take out!

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 packets of cream cheese (16 oz)
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (16 Tb)
• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth.  Add the sugar slowly in small batches, beating on low speed until incorporated.  Once all sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  When ready to serve, spread icing on cupcakes or use a pastry bag with a star tip.  Garnish with freshly cut strawberries and graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crispy Walnut Wafers

Ode to the Walnut!  Another wonderful gift found during the fall, nuts! I found this recipe in Chanterelle cookbook as well.  I usually like soft chewy cookies, but this recipe was definitely an exception–it was a light, buttery cookie with a slight crunch from the toffee topping.  Granted the words light and buttery usually don’t belong in the same sentence, a few cookies in the tummy never hurt 🙂

Ingredients for Walnut Wafers:

• 2 1/2 cups of walnuts
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons brandy

Ingredients for Toffee:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon brandy

To make the walnut shortbread dough, grind 2 cups of walnuts with the cornstarch in either a coffee grinder or food processor to form a flour consistency. (Do not over process the walnuts into a paste, this causes the nuts to release all their oils.) Toss the ground walnut mixture with the flour and salt and set aside.  Grind the remaining walnuts to use for garnish until you bake the cookies.

If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer will be work.  Cream the butter for 1 minute.  Add the sugar and cream with the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add the egg yolk and mix for 1 minute.  Add the brandy and beat on medium speed until incorporated.  (30 seconds)

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into two long logs.  Wrap the logs in a piece of parchment or wax paper and continue to roll until a near perfect cylindrical shape is achieved, 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm enough to cut slices that will hold their shape.  The time will vary on the temperature of your refrigerator.  You are also able to freeze this dough for up to a week.

To prepare the toffee, bring the butter, both sugars and corn syrup to a boil in a small heavy bottomed saucepan.  Let boil for 1 minute, whisking continuously.  Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.  Then slowly whisk in the cream until incorporated, (if you add it to quickly, the mixture will vigorously bubble over, it’s preferably 2 tbsp at a time)then finish by whisking in the brandy.  Refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Cut the logs into 1/4- to 5/16-inch thick slices.  Lay the pieces out on the cookie sheet.  Hold each piece with 3 fingers on one hand while making a slight indentation in the center with the index finger of the your other hand.   Squeeze or spoon the toffee over the indented area. (If you prefer, adding more toffee will have a ‘praline’ effect on the top and sides of the cookie) Garnish with the ground walnuts that were set aside earlier. Bake until toffee spreads and cookie is a deep golden brown color, 10 to 15 minutes.  Let cool before sealing in an airtight container.  They can keep for 2 to 3 days.

I am still working on many areas of this site so thank you for being patient :).   I will continue to update my ‘cooking tips’ section (there are a lot!) and offer any helpful tips I can think of along the way.