Strawberry Cupcakes!

I came across this recipe for Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes on Serious Eats a few years ago... right about the same time I started getting really into local, seasonal cooking. Lucky for me, though, I grew up with an appreciation for the joys of local strawberries - my mom and grandma would never let a June go by without a trip to a pick-your-own strawberry patch and a weekend afternoon dedicated to putting up homemade strawberry jam. And let me tell you, once you go "real strawberries," you never go back to those pale berry imitations from the supermarket.

So I decided to spread the strawberry gospel by baking a batch of these strawberry cupcakes for my coworkers. Of course, with their tender, airy cake and luscious bright pink frosting, they were a real hit! So much so that every time the spring rolls around, my coworkers start inquiring about when they can expect another batch of little pink sugar bombs.


This week, the lucky ducks of cluster 2 - and anyone else fast enough to grab one while the grabbin' was good - got a sweet little taste of sugary summer goodness. My advice? Make this recipe now! Strawberry season is quickly drawing to a close, and when it's done... it's nothing but styrofoam from the supermarket until next May.