Strawberry white chocolate cupcake

There's nothing like biting into a sweet and soft cupcake after a stressful day. Even though I'm working hard to lose weight (and currently failing), I still can't give up chocolate or cake. Part of me says it's a habit, but the other part of me just says that it's so good it'd be a crime to give it up! These strawberry white chocolate cupcakes fell into the latter category.

Ingredients

For the cupcake:

• 1 and 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6-7 large strawberries

For the white chocolate ganache:

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

For the cupcake:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar until combined. Add egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla, and whisk together until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in dry ingredients and slowly whisk together just until blended and no lumps remain.
3. In a food processor, pulse strawberries until they form a chunky puree. The puree should amount to 1/2 cup.
4. Mix puree into cupcake batter.
5. Distribute batter evenly between prepared cupcake liners.
6. 6. Bake at 350° F preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the white chocolate ganache:

1. Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.
2. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over the chocolate chips.
3. Stir together until smooth.
4. Transfer to fridge to chill for 1 hour.

Because I'm not a fan of frosting (surprising huh?), I skipped the strawberry frosting from the original recipe from the always great Culinary Couture blog. Instead, after the white chocolate ganache had cooled, I simply used a small knife to spread some on top of each cupcake before eating. It was especially great when the cupcake was still warm, since it led to a slightly melted ganache on top.

One thing to note. As these are made with fresh strawberries, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. As fresh fruit was used, the cupcakes will go bad within a couple of days, so do be careful.