Spumoni Cupcakes

So I was at the supermarket and ended up buying a box of pistachio pudding because I just couldn't pass it by. I got home and decided that I wanted to do something more with it than just pudding. Pudding's great, but pudding-filled cupcakes are better, right? That's what I thought, too, but what else do you put with pistachio? Spumoni (the good version of neopolitan)ice cream has pistachio! So here's my take on spumoni. It's somewhat loosely based on a recipe for Boston Cream Cupcakes from my Big Book of Cupcakes cookbook.


Spumoni Cupcakes


Ingredients


   Batter:

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 5 egg whites
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups milk

   Filling:

• 1 box Pistachio Pudding mix, prepared with 1 3/4 cups milk

   Strawberry Sauce:

• 7-10 strawberries, cut up
• 2 Tbl sugar
• 1 Tbl cornstarch

   Frosting:

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• strawberry sauce
• 7-10 strawberries, minced

   Garnish:

• Mini Oreos or crushed regular size Oreos

Directions


   Batter:

• Heat oven to 350. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper liners.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add egg whites and beat well. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating until just blended.
• Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

   Strawberry Sauce:

• Meanwhile, in small saucepan, stir all Strawberry Sauce ingredients together. Continue stirring and breaking down strawberries until sauce thickens to a consistency similar to maple syrup. Force through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Cool in fridge.

   Frosting:

• In large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter until well blended. Add Strawberry Sauce and minced strawberries and beat until frosting is creamy. Refrigerate so that it sets up and becomes thick.

   Assembly:

• Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the centers of the cupcakes to create a good-sized space for the pudding. 
• Spoon just enough pudding into cupcakes to come almost to the top or just level.
• Frost generously (this frosting is just so delicious you'll want a mouthful of it).
• Garnish with Oreos.
• EAT!