BEST strawberry frosting EVER (and cupcakes)

Strawberry Frosting (Tastes like Bryer's Ice Cream)
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons butter at room temp
1 Tablespoon cream
3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon strawberry puree (fresh or frozen-brought to room temp strawberries, put in blender and liquefied)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract

Combine all ingredients.
Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes or sugar cookies.


Yellow Cupcakes
from Cook's Illustrated, January 2003

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 oz) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat on low just to combine. Add the butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix by hand until the batter is smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffins cups. Bake until the cupcake tops are pale gold and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes