strawberry cheesecake cupcakes

this summer i started a new job and i’m now the coordinator of the transitional advising program (tap).  well all summer we’ve been working on developing it and it launches tomorrow!  i’m so excited!  i can’t wait to see students and implement everything we’ve worked on for the past few months.  so to celebrate the launch of the tap program, i made tap cupcakes!  well actually they are strawberry cheesecake cupcakes with candy melt letters that spell out TAP.  

      

these are really easy to make.  you just melt the candy melts in a disposable piping bag and then write out the letters on silpat or parchment paper.  only don’t forget that to write the letters backward because you’re going to turn over the letters so the smooth side is showing.  i totally forgot to do this but fortunately the Ts and As work either way, but sadly the Ps do not.  so i had to re-write them…

and here are my tap cupcakes!

what do you think? 

oh more about the strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, i actually came up with them myself.  i tried to make a cupcake as close to real strawberry cheesecake as possible.  so it has a graham cracker crust, strawberry filling, and cream cheese frosting.  of course they aren’t exactly like real cheesecake but i think they came pretty close while still being a cupcake.  i hope everyone like them and i can’t wait to start tap tomorrow!

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

by me!  with some help from annie’s eats and food.com

Ingredients

Strawberry Filling

• 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Cupcakes

• 1 box white cake mix plus ingredients called for on the box

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

1. To make the strawberry filling, in a small sauce pan, combined all of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. To make graham crust, mix all crust ingredients until well blended.  Spoon 1 tablespoon of the crust mixture into each cupcake cup.  Press with a pastry tamper.
4. Bake for 3-5 minutes.
5. Prepare and bake cupcakes as directed on the box.
6. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
7. Using the cone method,  use a small paring knife to cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake.
8. Add some filling to the cupcake and replace the top portion of the cone, slicing off the tip to leave room for the filling.
9. To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.
10. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
11. Pipe frosting on to cupcakes as desired.

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Posted by miki on August 14, 2011

https://heymikiheymiki.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/strawberry-cheesecake-cupcakes/