How to make vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting

Cake Ingredients: - 1 1/2 cups of flour - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon of salt - 1/2 cup of milk

Cake Ingredients continued... - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter - 3/4 cup of sugar - 2 large eggs

Gather the Ingredients

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside

In a liquid measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla extract and set aside

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Once fluffy, add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add half of the dry ingredients

Then add the whole milk mixture followed by the rest of the dry ingredients

Evenly divide the batter into a greased cupcake tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when pressed in to the middle

Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting

Ingredients for frosting: - 8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened - 2/3 cup sugar, divided - 2/3 cup chopped strawberries

Frosting ingredients continued... - 1 drop of food coloring (optional) - 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream - 3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth

CHOP the strawberries to the desired size

Add strawberries to cream cheese mixture until strawberries are evenly coated

Combine heavy cream and lemon juice and whisk

Keep whisking until foamy. Add remaining sugar and whisk until soft peaks form

Fold in half the heavy cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and whisk, then add in the rest of the heavy cream mixture

Begin frosting until the tops are covered