Strawberry Cupcakes

You will need:
1 box of white cake mix(I like Betty Crocker)
1 3 ounce package of strawberry flavor gelatin(jello)
1/4 cup of good quality cake flour(I use the Queen Guinevere brand by King Arthur flour)
1 16 ounce package of frozen strawberries in syrup or sugar, thawed, and then pureed
6 extra large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 tsp of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup of water
pinch of salt
cupcake liners and muffin tins

For the cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces of softened cream cheese
4 ounces of SALTED and softened butter(take it out the night before)
1/4 cup of room temperature, seedless raspberry preserves.
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of powdered sugar
Pink gel food coloring
Ateco piping tips in #825 and #829
cake decorating piping bags

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add in your white cake mix, strawberry gelatin, cake flour, pinch of salt and mix until combined. Add in your pureed strawberries, water, and vegetable oil into the dry mixture, and using a handheld mixer, beat until smooth(I missed a few steps in the video but it's written down correctly here)! :) Scrape down the bowl a few times to get a smooth consistency but be careful not to over mix.

In a separate mixing bowl, add your room temperature egg whites plus cream of tartar and whip until stiff peaks(be careful not to over whip your egg whites)! Next, carefully fold in your fluffy egg whites(a little at a time), into your strawberry cake mixture, until all of it is fully incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Immediately, remove cupcakes from pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: In a large mixing bowl, add in your cream cheese, salted butter, powdered sugar, seedless raspberry preserves, and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth. Add in a touch of gel, pink food coloring(more or less depending on how dark you want it) and continue to beat until smooth again. Frost your cupcakes and then garnish however way you please!