Strawberry Cupcakes, Cooking Light style

I saw this recipe in a recent Cooking Light magazine. Then I saw that Kristen made the cake, and next I saw that Patsy made the same recipe but made cupcakes. That is when I decided I would definitely make this recipe but I would follow suit with Patsy and do cupcakes. Cupcakes are so much easier to pass out to others than a cake is....so any I would have left over, I could give to either my kids or take to work.

On the CL website itself there is a bit of discussion about the cake in the reviews. My feeling is that this is a good recipe to keep around but it definitely needs some tweaking. I love the fact you use strawberry puree. There is no flavoring listed in the recipe, but if made again, I would add some strawberry extract to boost the strawberry flavor. My cupcakes came out pretty flat but I kind of expected that to happen as the cake has been described as "dense" and I might play around with the flour in this recipe some too to try and make it not so dense. I decided that I was going to put strawberry puree in the frosting itself as I wanted as much strawberry flavor as possible!

Other strawberry recipes you may like!
Easy Strawberry and Cream Pie - Renees Kitchen Adventures
Lemon Strawberry Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache - Flavor Mosiac
Neopolitan Cupcakes - Our Life Tastes Good

Strawberry Cupcakes
Adapted slightly from Cooking Light

Cake:
1-¼ cups sliced strawberries
2-¼ cups flour
2-¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1-½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, then pour milk into measure to make 1 cup
¼ teaspoon red food coloring
Cooking spray

Frosting:
⅓ cup (3 ounces) ⅓-less-fat cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened 
1 tablespoons Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur)
4 cups powdered sugar
12 whole strawberries (optional) (I pureed strawberries and put about ¼ cup of the puree in the frosting mix)
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place sliced strawberries in a food processor; process until smooth.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large sized bowl, beat sugar and ½ cup butter; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in egg whites. Add flour mixture and lemon juice/milk mixture to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add pureed strawberries and food coloring (if desired); beat just until blended.
Line two 12 cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners and divide batter between each cup using a large cookie scoop (or ¼ cup measure).  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, butter, and liqueur in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat just until blended.
Frost cupcakes and decorate with fresh cut strawberries if desired.