Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes

By tlhoover

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• 1 (8 oz) container mascarpone cheese, chilled
• ½ cup thawed and drained frozen strawberries
• ¼ cup sugar, plus ½ cup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Step 1

• Make the cupcakes according to package instructions
• Lightly grease the muffin tin and fill the batter almost to the rim of each muffin cup
• Bake according to package directions and let cool
• In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, and lemon juice
• Process the mixture until smooth
• Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip
• Push the tip gently into the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps, continue with remaining cupcakes
• In a small saucepan bring the ½ cup sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat
• Simmer until the sugar is dissolved
• In a medium bowl combine the vanilla syrup with the confectioner’s sugar, stirring until smooth
• Working quickly, use a rubber spatula spread the icing on the top of the cupcakes
• If the icing begins to firm up, place in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up again