Strawberry Tres Leches Cupcakes

In my opinion, it's pretty freakin' impossible to beat the combination of fruit and cream, and specifically strawberries paired with cream is one of my favorite combos. I think a lot of you can agree… it's a total classic!

Well, the idea of a strawberries and cream cupcake got stuck in my head, but a quick internet search reveled that my idea was nothing close to innovative. I got to thinking about how to add a twist when tres leches popped into my crazy brain - that includes cream, and is a lot more unique!

If you aren't familiar with tres leches cake, it is a very popular Latin American dessert that means "three milks" cake. You pour the three-milk mixture over a porous cake and allow it to sink in - it's heavenly.

These smashing strawberry tres leches cupcakes actually turned out beyond fantastic. The "smashing" not only accounts for their smashed strawberry component, but it is a testament to their alluring nature. They kinda taste like a super moist strawberry shortcake, which is never a bad thing.

They're a bit sticky, and maybe a tad on the messy side, but all the best things are, right?

The insides soak up the tres leches mixture, producing a near pudding-like consistency, but the outsides keep a light texture similar to an angel food cake (due to all the whipped egg whites!).

If you want to make these ahead of time, you can store the strawberry smash in a sealed container in the fridge (for up to 2-3 days), and the cupcakes (infused with the tres leches mixture) on a tray in the fridge for 24 hours.

I used fresh strawberries here, but frozen should work just fine, as well. I also used canned whipped cream, mostly for ease of use, but you can totally make your own if you feel a bit more energetic. I would also recommend making your own if you want the finished cupcakes to hold up for a slightly longer period of time, as the processed stuff in the can tends to kinda melt pretty quickly.

We're amassing some pretty fantastic cupcake recipes around here. Don't miss David's strawberry lemonade cupcakes and Rachael's PB&J cupcakes too.

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Strawberry Tres Leches Cupcakes Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Strawberry Smash:

• 2 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk, of your choice

For the Tres Leches Mixture:

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk, low fat
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To Top:

• whipped cream

Directions

For the Strawberry Smash:

1. In a large bowl, smash together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice using a handheld potato masher, or a large fork. You want to leave the mixture a little chunky, but you want the juices to release and the sugar to dissolve.
2. Sift in the cornstarch and mix until no clumps remain.
3. Place in the fridge while you make the cupcakes.

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 or 3 standard muffin trays with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
4. Alternately add in the flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Fill the paper liners ¾ of the way full (I find it's easiest to fill them with a large cookie scoop).
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set in the centers and lightly golden.

For the Tres Leches Mixture:

1. In a bowl, whisk together all of the tres leches mixture ingredients, until combined.
2. Using a skewer, poke multiple holes in each cupcake. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture over each cupcake, and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
3. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the strawberry smash over each cupcake, and top with a 1-2 tablespoon-sized dollop of whipped cream. 

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