Strawberry Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

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

In the bowl of a food processor, puree the strawberries until no chunks remain. Transfer the pureed strawberries to a small bowl and remove 2 tablespoons of the pureed strawberries to a separate small dish (this will be reserved for the frosting).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the larger bulk of the strawberry puree. Set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the egg, egg whites, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is just combined.

Add half of the dry mixture and beat until the batter just starts to come together. Add the milk mixture and beat until the batter just starts to loosen up. Add the remainder of the dry mixture and beat until the mixture is just blended and no streaks of flour remain.

Fill the prepared muffin tins just less than 2/3 full with the batter and bake 25 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before finishing them with frosting.

For the frosting:

Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and continue beating. The mixture will be seem very thick but it will loosen as you continue beating. Once all the sugar has been combined, add the reserved strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until the frosting is fluffy.

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.)