Strawberries & Creme Cupcakes

I have missed writing on the blog since last Wed, but we had friends visiting from Texas and we played Tour Guide and Bed & Breakfast for some of our sweet friends we have known for over 30 years…..But….now back to routine and baking. Several ladies are coming over for lunch tomorrow so I wanted to make something new. After thinking about the heat (well, for here it is hot, 91 degrees) and how good strawberries always taste so good in the summer, I wanted to try something a little different. We are having a salad luncheon, so made homemade chicken salad and will put those into a cut tomato, beside spinach salad and grape salad (which is already on the blog). For dessert, we will have chocolate dipped strawberries alongside a french vanilla cupcake with strawberry glaze in the middle. Below is the recipe and they are delicious, already had to try one.

1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix
1 box (4 oz) french vanilla instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
Beat all ingredients until well blended, about 2 mins. Pour about 1 tablespoon batter into paper cupcake liners.
Place about 1 teas of Marie’s Strawberry glaze for strawberries (it comes in 14 oz tub alongside the fresh strawberries in the produce department) in the middle of the batter and then cover this mixture with enough batter to fill 3/4 full. Bake according to cupcake directions on box and then cool. Frost with the follow: and store in fridge after frosting, covered in tupperware or plastic tray

1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 to 1/4 half and half or whipping cream (enough to get frosting to where it is of spreading consistency)
1 teas almond extract
Beat until smooth and frost cupcakes. When serving place chocolate covered strawberry beside cupcake on small plate and drizzle more of the strawberry glaze over the cupcake after removing it from the paper container.