These strawberry shortcake cupcakes have a hidden surprise inside! Each one is stuffed with a whole strawberry for an extra sweet burst of flavour.
The frosting is a stabilized whipped cream, using gelatine so that you can frost ahead of time and store it in the fridge. If you don’t use the gelatine, just remember that you will need to frost these just before serving as the whipped cream will lose its shape without the stabilizing effects of the gelatine.
These cupcakes make a delicious healthier treat for any special occasion!
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together your sugar and butter until smooth. Mix in the apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with milk, and stirring in-between each addition until ingredients are just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix!
Evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (they should be ½ to ¾ full) and bake for 13 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool before preparing the whipped cream.
Place gelatine in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Once the gelatine has been hydrated, microwave for 5 to 10 seconds until melted. Set aside to cool slightly before continuing to make the whipped frosting.
In a large bowl, add the cream and sugar. Whip on medium-high speed using a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you get soft peaks (i.e. when the beaters are lifted, the peaks of cream will fall over). With your mixer running, SLOWLY add the gelatine mixture and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form (i.e. when the beaters are lifted out of the cream, the peaks will stay standing tall).
Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a small knife or spoon to gently scoop out a small hole in the centre of the cupcakes. Place a small strawberry in the hole.
Use a large plastic bag with the tip snipped off to pipe the whipped cream onto each cupcake, or use a spoon to add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of frosting on top. Top each cupcake with a sliced strawberry.
The gelatine is added to the whipped cream to help stabilize it so that it does not deflate. Without the gelatine, these cupcakes can not be frosted ahead of time.
If using vanilla pudding mix, omit the icing sugar
Unfrosted cupcakes can stored at room temperature in an air-tight container.