Pretty in Pink....Weekend Cooking

Today, I am in the mood for an easy, sweet treat, so here is a very nice cupcake recipe from one of my favorite Food Network cooks, Giada De Laurentiis. Of course, the glaze is pink, so it will be perfect for a little girls birthday, to celebrate the first day of Spring or your next tea party. But if you look carefully at the photo, you will see that I actually made them at Christmas, because they are delicious whatever the time of year.

Now, the recipe calls for making them in mini-cupcake pans but personally I used regular cupcakes liners and a regular cupcake pan and baked them about 3-4 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.

Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients

* 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened
* 2 egg whites
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 box white cake mix
* 1 cup water
* 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
* 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the mini tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

This is my contribution this week to Weekend Cooking. Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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