Step 1
Place strawberries in a blender and puree until smooth; you should have about 1 cup of puree. Transfer strawberry puree to a small saucepan and place over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring frequently so strawberries don’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until puree is reduced by at least half, yielding about ½ cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely while you make the cupcakes
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line 2 cupcakes pans with 14 cupcake liners. Set aside
Step 3
In a medium bowl, add Domino® Golden Sugar and lemon zest. Work the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the oils.
Step 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and lemon sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until evenly incorporated
Step 5
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add in sour cream and milk until there are no longer dry spots of flour. Stir in lemon juice just until evenly incorporated.
Step 6
Fill the cupcake liners ¾ of the way full. Bake for 5 min in the preheated oven then reduce temperature to 350ºF and bake another 10-12 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely while you prepare the frosting
Step 7
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. With the mixer off, add in Domino® Powdered Sugar and salt. Mix on low, gradually increasing speed until just blended. Mixture will look dry. Add 6 tablespoons of the strawberry puree and vanilla extract into the butter sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended and fluffy
Step 8
When cupcakes are completely cool, frost and serve
Fresh or frozen strawberries can be used for the strawberry puree
Store frosted cupcakes in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If preparing the cupcakes ahead of time, store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 4 days and frosting separately in the fridge. Stir the frosting well before frosting the cupcakes