"Less Mess" Neapolitan Cupcakes Recipe
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
  • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar5-6 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salted cupcakes, add decorations as desired, and serve.
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
  3. Make the cupcakes: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, sour cream, and whole milk until smooth.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons) to distribute half the batter evenly into the cupcake liners.
  7. Mix the cocoa powder into the remaining batter in the bowl.
  8. Top the vanilla batter in the cupcake liners with the chocolate batter.
  9. Bake cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
  10. Make the frosting: Add the freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they become mostly powder.
  11. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy.
  12. Add the confectioners' sugar, strawberry powder, milk, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then high speed for 2 minutes until buttercream is fluffy.
  13. Pipe or spread the strawberry buttercream onto the cool