Strawberry Cupcakes w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

My baby girl is turning one next week and we're having a Rubber Ducky themed party. I bought a 3D Ducky cake mold made by Wilton (pictures to follow) and decided to serve cupcakes to the guests so she can dig into this ducky cake.

I came across some raving reviews of Paula Deen's Strawberry Cake and thought they'd be a yummy change from boring old white cupcakes.

I did a test run of them (I strongly believe in test runs) and DH's immediate response was a moan followed by "you're going to make me fat."

Here is the original recipe:

1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix

1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin

1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

Strawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract

7 cups confectioners' sugar

Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

I'm not usually into eating batter, but this stuff is too good to resist.

She got a preview.