Think Pink! Strawberry and Cinnamon Cupcakes

[Help desserts for breakfast fight Breast Cancer!]

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  This is one of the causes I feel strongly about, having had close family members and friends fight and survive breast cancer.  It's true what they say: you never really think cancer can happen to people you know until it actually does happen to people you know.  So please. Be aware. Get tested. Spread the word. Support breast cancer research.

One of the reasons I always dedicate time on this blog to talking about breast cancer is because I feel like it's something that I can actually do to help.  When my family member was going through her fight with cancer, I never quite felt like it was real.  I think it was just hard for me to imagine or relate to what she was going through, and, being a person of action who possesses absolutely no patience, it was incredibly frustrating to me that there was nothing I could do to just *fix* it and immediately make everything better again.  I also found it really difficult to imagine the possibility of a world without her in it, and I'm very glad that I never had to actually face that situation.

(hm... I apologize if that sounded clunky.  It's difficult to articulate these thoughts and feelings while respecting the privacy of everyone involved....)

[click on image to enlarge]

This year, I wanted to ask you all for help in doing what we can to fight breast cancer.  To this end, I've created two limited edition "Think Pink!" greeting card collections of pink-inspired photography that's been featured here on desserts for breakfast.  Each collection has five greeting cards (they're blank inside): one set features "light" images and one set features "dark" images.  All of the proceeds of the sale of these cards will be donated to the American Cancer Society to support breast cancer research, so please help me in this cause!

>>Cards available here<<

These are limited edition, so once they're gone, they're gone and won't be back, so make sure to get your set today!  Single cards may also be available sometime soon, or you can contact me if you have any special requests for larger orders, etc.  Please note that due to some printing delays, the dark collection won't ship until next week.

To thank you in helping me support the breast cancer awareness cause, here are "Think Pink!" strawberry and cinnamon cupcakes, also known as re-imagined "pink lady" cupcakes--sweet, very strawberry-y, and with a bit of tart and spice in the cinnamon-cream cheese frosting.  Oh, and I think you should definitely eat these while watching Funny Face on Girl's Night!


Read on for recipe....


"Think Pink!" Strawberry and Cinnamon Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

for strawberry cupcakes:
1/2 lb. frozen strawberries, thawed with juices
1 1/2 Tbspn (17 gr) + 3/4 cup (150 gr) sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups (200 gr) AP flour
1/4 tspn salt
2 tspn baking powder
3 egg whites
1/4 cup whole milk
1 stick butter, at room temperature

1. Combine thawed strawberries (with juices) and 1 1/2 Tbspn sugar in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the saucepan. Cook and simmer until the strawberries have reduced by a half, leaving about 3/4 cup. Puree in a food processor and let cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and line 12 cupcake molds.
3. Whisk to combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites and whole milk. Set aside.
5. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating.
6. Add the wet and dry ingredients in two additions, alternating between dry and wet. Beat until combined.
7. Divide the batter between the cupcake molds, filling each mold to 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes come out cleanly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

for cinnamon-cream cheese frosting:
4 Tbspn (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (300 gr) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tspn ground cinnamon
8 oz. (113 gr) cream cheese, cold

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
2. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar and cinnamon.
3. Gradually add small chunks of the cold cream cheese, beating well after each addition.
4. Frost cupcakes immediately. Top with sprinkles, if desired.

Cake recipe loosely adapted from Sky High Cakes.

Enjoy!