Multigrain Cupcakes with Strawberries: Revisiting the Strawberry Cupcake

About a year ago, I made strawberry cupcakes. I used an award-winning recipe and I joked that I should have left well enough alone. I messed up the recipe by adding some jam, which made it too moist. Did I follow the strawberry cupcake recipe this year? Nope!

• I converted it to a mutigrain cupcake.
• I used olive oil as my vegetable oil.
• I used milk and balsamic vinegar instead of buttermilk.
• I used ginger extract from Supreme Spice instead of vanilla extract.

It's pretty much a completely different cupcake at this point.

How Were the New Multigrain Cupcakes with Strawberries?

People enjoyed the moistness and the fresh berries as well as the earthy flavor brought on by the multigrain flour. The ginger extract flavor was more noticeable in the aftertaste than the initial bite, so it was a fun surprise. I liked them, but definitely found them to be more of a breakfast cupcake than a dessert cupcake.

Groom 2.0 said he couldn't taste the difference between the multigrain flour and the regular flour. I promised him that I would no longer place value judgements on his tasting notes, so I have no further comment about his feedback. Bride 2.0 asked to be exempted from this tasting after she told me that she didn't like strawberries. Clearly, they won't be picking this one.

The Multigrain Cupcake with Strawberries Recipe

As noted above, the multigrain cupcake with strawberries recipe was created by majorly modifying the strawberry cupcake recipe that originally came from the Good Morning America Weekend Edition's Great American Cupcake Challenge.

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 2 1/2 C multigrain flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 C butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 t balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 C minus 1/2 t milk
• 1/2 C vegetable oil (I used olive oil. See my post on olive oil cupcakes for more on baking with olive oil.)
• 1/8 t ginger extract from Supreme Spice (You could use 1 t vanilla extract if you prefer)
• 1 C finely chopped fresh strawberries

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
3. Add eggs. Mix until smooth and creamy.
4. Add balsamic vinegar, milk, oil, and extract. Mix until combined.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
6. Stir in strawberries.
7. Fill cupcake liners halfway full. Do not fill more than halfway! These cupcakes do not dome. If you fill them too high, they will rise and then sink and look ugly!
8. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes. Let cool.

The Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

I frosted the cupcakes with my strawberry cream cheese frosting recipe.

A Note on the Strawberries in the Photo

The strawberries in the photo above are growing in our lawn. We did not plant them, they just showed up. While you may question our lawn care practices or even if those are really strawberries (I think they are, but I haven't tried one yet), it was nice of them to show up for their photo op!

Baking with Multigrain Flour

Baking with multigrain flour was not something I had considered until I received a package of multigrain flour through the combined community supported agriculture (CCSA) program I am a part of. When I joined the CCSA, I had no idea that I would also get locally milled flour! This flour was destined to go in a cupcake!

The multigrain flour (ten grain varieties, to be exact) was from Kimker Farms. They also sell at a local farmer's market and I was excited to see them there the day of my planned cupcake baking. I had been debating whether I should use half multigrain flour and half white flour in baking or whether I could use all multigrain flour instead of white. The helpful woman at Kimker said I could do direct substitution and use all multigrain instead of white, but did it work?

Can You Directly Substitute Multigrain Flour For White Flour?

I tried directly substituting multigrain flour for white flour, but it didn't work as I had hoped. My test cupcake was far too crumbly - it completely fell apart when I picked it up. It seemed the multigrain flour had absorbed more of the cake moisture than white flour would have.

To solve this problem, I added an extra egg and some extra oil to the recipe. My cupcakes stuck together perfectly.

Note: My friend Lori of Life in Webster Groves used the same 10 grain flour to make a strawberry bread. She also found that she needed to increase the liquid to make her recipe work.

How Does Multigrain Flour Affect the Taste of Your Baking?

Multigrain flour is going to taste different than white flour. The big difference is that it actually has a taste. White flour takes on other flavors of your baking, while multigrain brings its own flavor elements.

How Does Multigrain Flour Affect the Texture of Your Baking?

Not surprisingly, the multigrain flour caused my cupcakes to be more grainy. This isn't a bad thing, just something to be aware of. The change in texture led many to feel that they were more muffiny than cupcakey. However, as noted above, they were plenty moist after my modifications.

Multigrain Has Multi Meanings

Everything I wrote about multigrain flour above will vary depending on the exact mix of grains in your multigrain flour. I highly recommend experimenting with some different flours. Let me know how it goes.

Related Posts

• The multigrain cupcakes with strawberries uses this flour.
• Check out my post on semolina flour for another idea of a different flour to bake with.