Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

It may be the dead of winter, but here in NYC it doesn't exactly feel that way - temperatures have been reaching 50 - 60 degrees pretty regularly. While I'm not complaining about this per say, it makes me crave the arrival of summer more so than the freezing temps we're used to around this time of the year.

You see, it's easy to celebrate some of the best things about winter (warm soups, fashionable outerwear, ice skating in the park) when it's actually COLD enough to enjoy them.

This weather is making me anticipate bbqs, fruity mixed drinks and pool parties, instead.

To satisfy my craving for summer's arrival I decided to take advantage of a particularly promising looking carton of fresh strawberries and make a cupcake that reminds me of the season more so than any other.

Don't you just want to reach in and grab this cupcake? Don't worry! They're so easy-peasy to make you can have a batch of your own in less than half an hour.

Ingredients

white cake mix (know it's not shortcake, but has a light, foamy texture when baked)
whipped cream
carton of fresh strawberries

Directions

Make cupcakes from your white cake mix. While they bake, slice your berries into thin pieces. Reserve the tops for garnishing your cupcake.

Combine your sliced berries (not tops) with about 3 tablespoons of water, a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

Once your cupcakes are baked, remove them from the pan to cool.

After they've cooled, slice them in half.Spoon a dollop of whipped cream onto the bottom layers of your cupcakes and add a few strawberry slices with a bit of the syrup on top of the cream. Cover with the top portion of your cupcake.

Finally, add a smaller dollop of whipped cream to the top of your cupcake and place the strawberry top on it for garnish. You can drizzle with some more of the syrup from your berry, water and sugar mixture if you'd like. 

So easy, so light and delish!