Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cupcakes

When I started blogging a while ago, I had a recipe that took off like wildfire. It was the ever-decadent, always-deliciously satisfying Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake. Whenever strawberries are in season, I can't help but toss a good heaping pile of those ruby gems into a strawberry cake. It's one of my favorite ways to eat strawberries, and I never pass up an opportunity to make & devour it. The fact that it uses fresh lemon juice and greek yogurt doesn't hurt either :) The texture would blow your mind. 

These darling little cupcakes were created in my kitchen when I saw a need for a smaller-condensed version of the ever-popular cake. My husband takes a lunch every day to work, and it's much easier to send a little cupcake, then slap in a heaping slice of cake. These are just the fun-sized version, and man did we have fun with these! 

The greek yogurt makes the most incredible texture... it will seriously destroy whatever cupcake you have from here on out. It's the most moist thing you've ever tried in a cupcake! The lemon zest and lemon juice melds perfectly with the fresh strawberries, and the drizzle of lemon glaze at the end will leave you thinking - who needs frosting? (coming from a die-hard-frosting-lover, this is serious stuff). 

When you're at the store this week, toss some strawberries in your cart (or heck, go pick 'em yourself if you have a patch nearby). Make these cupcakes. Eat a dozen yourself. Share them with your dear ones. Be a baking goddess for an afternoon. The recipe is here waiting for you :) 

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cupcakes

makes 18-20 cupcakes

ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

method:
1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

3.. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
4. Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Using an ice cream scoop with an inside-release, fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. These will not brown or become golden when they're finished, so the toothpick method should help the best in knowing when they're done or not.
5. Allow to cool about 2-5 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cupcakes. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days for best freshness and texture.

adapted from: Baking with Blondie - Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake