Strawberry Loop Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Batter:

• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ cup skim milk
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons Sweet’N Low®
• 1 teaspoon strawberry or vanilla extract
• ½ cup finely chopped freeze dried strawberries

For the Filling:

• ¼ cup marshmallow creme
• ¼ cup sugar-free vanilla frosting (such as Pillsbury or Duncan Hines)
• 2 drops red food coloring

For the Pink Icing:

• ½ cup sugar-free vanilla frosting (such as Pillsbury or Duncan Hines)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 drops red food coloring

For the Loops:

• 2 tablespoons sugar-free vanilla frosting (such as Pillsbury or Duncan Hines)

Preparation

For the Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 350 ̊F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk to combine milk, oil, egg, sweetener, and extract. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries.

4. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners. Bake 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Remove 1 teaspoon of cake from the top center of each cooled cupcake. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1. To make filling, whisk to combine marshmallow creme, frosting, and food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag (or freezer bag with a ¼” cut on bottom corner). Pipe filling halfway into the center of each cupcake and top with reserved cake. Using a pastrybrush, brush off any excess crumbs.

For the Pink Icing:

1. To make icing, in a mixing bowl, combine frosting and water. Whisk in oil and food coloring. Remove cupcake liners and dip each cupcake into pink icing and twist to coat. Use an offset spatula to smooth.

For the Loops:

1. To make loops, transfer frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip (or freezer bag with a ⅛” cut on bottom corner). Pipe small loops on each cupcake. If desired, serve cupcakes in clean liners.