• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Strawberry Cupcakes

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Puree 10 strawberries in a blender or food processor for about 5 seconds (just until you have small strawberry bits). Measure out ⅓ cup of the puree and place in a small bowl. Reserve the remaining puree for the frosting later. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract into the small bowl with the strawberry puree. Set aside.
• In an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on med-high speed until fully combined and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Then mix in the vegetable oil.
• Add about half of the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. Then mix in the strawberry puree, followed by the rest of the flour. Be careful not to overmix! Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and gently fold in the diced strawberries.
• FIll each cupcake liner ⅔ of the way full (about 2 ½ tablespoons of batter) and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them over to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream

• In a small saucepan, take the rest of your strawberry puree from step 2 and heat over medium heat on the stove. This process will take about 10 minutes for the puree to reduce (thick consistency, almost jam-like). Be sure to stir occasionally.
• Transfer the strawberry puree into a small heat-safe bowl and place into the refrigerator to cool completely.
• In an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy (1-2 minutes). Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined (about 30 seconds). Then add 3 tablespoons of the strawberry puree and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy (1-2 minutes).
• Frost the cupcakes. I placed the frosting in a piping bag and used the Wilton 1M piping tip. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.