As a general rule, I don’t love cupcakes unless they’re in carrot cake or chocolate-form. Vanilla, especially, is a very “blah” flavor for me. I would never eat a vanilla cupcake voluntarily. They’re boring, and I’ve been forced to eat far too many over-frosted, over-sugared vanilla treats at birthday parties over the years. But these cupcakes…I would eat them again, and do it happily. They’re dense but soft, extremely moist, perfectly sweet, and packed with — dare I say it — wonderful vanilla flavor.

So, why are these called “Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes”? Because that’s what I had in mind when I was making them, and that’s what they taste like. Sweet vanilla crepes filled with fresh strawberries and Nutella. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Purists might say that these don’t really taste like strawberry crepes, but that’s only because they aren’t crepes. Obviously these are not thin, chewy pancakes wrapped around chocolate filling and fruit — they’re delicious vanilla cupcakes stuffed with fat, juicy strawberries and frosted with thick Nutella buttercream. If you ask me (and my co-workers), they taste pretty darn close to the real thing. And, these cupcakes are really frickin’ delicious in their own right. Like…really really good. Try ’em!

Print Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes Author: Tina @ Just Putzing Recipe type: Dessert Yields: 12 Ingredients Cupcakes 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp table salt

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs.

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

12 whole strawberries, hulled + more for garnishing Nutella Buttercream Frosting ¾ cup Nutella

1-1/2 sticks butter, softened (I actually used "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and it tasted perfectly fine.)

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar Directions To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together softened butter, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. Mix well, making sure there are no flour pockets. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Cups should be about ⅔ full. Press one strawberry, pointy-side-down, into the center of each cup of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cupcake tops are pale gold and springy. Remove cupcakes from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool while you make your frosting. To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together butter and Nutella. Stir in powdered sugar, and mix until smooth. Spoon frosting into a piping bag, and pipe thick swirls on top of each cupcake. (If you find the frosting to be too buttery, add a little more Nutella or powdered sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, tasting after each addition until you find your ideal balance of flavors.) Slice remaining strawberries into thirds, length-wise, and press one slice on top of each cupcake. (To help the strawberries last a little longer and give them a nice shine, melt together 1 tbsp strawberry jam + 1 tbsp water and mix well. Then, gently brush the syrupy glaze over each berry. Any overflow can be soaked up by gently dabbing with a paper towel.) Enjoy! 3.2.2807

(Vanilla cupcakes adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker’s recipe