Strawberry Peeps Cupcakes

I'm mixing two recipies -look for my personal notes at bottom of the note.

Easter Peeps Cupcakes
Found On:
http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/annamaria-settanni-mcdonald/peeps-cupcakes/quick-easy-cake-for-kids?k=peep+cupcakes&p=1&o=r

INGREDIENTS
- pkg peeps, bunnies or chicks, or both
- 1 bx moist chocolate cake mix, made into cupcakes
according to package directions
- cake frosting, any flavor (i like cream cheese for
this one)
- toasted coconut
- jelly beans or whoppers mini malted milk eggs for
decoration (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Make cupcakes according to package directions on cake mix, you can use any flavor cake mix.
2. When cupcakes are cool, frost them and sprinkle edges with toasted coconut or green food colored dyed coconut. Place a few jelly beans or whoppers mini malted eggs. Voila, you just created a Peep Cupcake!



Paula Deen's Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
Found On:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/simply-delicious-strawberry-cake-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
Strawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar
Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.



Tresa's Notes-I used one pound of whole frozen strawberries-put them in a saucepan with about half a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of leamon juice and mashed them up until they were more like a sauce mixture. I made just a regular batch of cheesecake frosting. Also-instead of using a white cake mix-I used Pillsbury's Ultimate strawberry cake mix. Yum-and adorable!