PREPARATIONS

1. Thoroughly wash the strawberries, dry them, and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Cut parchment paper into small squares and press two layers into every other cup of the cupcake tin. Alternatively, you can skip the parchment paper and use cupcake liners instead. Set the prepared tin aside.

COOKING

1. For the crumbles: In a small bowl, knead together room temperature butter, flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt until combined, then break into large chunks. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
2. For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, zest from half a lemon, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until creamy. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. For the batter: In one of the medium bowls, mix together the dry ingredients – flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients – melted butter, eggs, yogurt, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract using a whisk until smooth.
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and use a spatula to blend into a batter. Mix just until no flour streaks remain, then fold in the chopped strawberries.
6. Grab the crumbles and cream cheese mix from the fridge.
7. Place a scoop of batter into every second cup of the cupcake tin. Press a scoop in the center and add 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese filling. Cover with another scoop of batter. Distribute crumbles over 6 of the 12 cupcakes, pressing down firmly. Leave the other 6 plain for the strawberry frosting later.
8. Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and let cool briefly before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the next batch of cupcakes similarly, but without the crumbles. Let all cupcakes cool completely.
9. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat room temperature butter with an electric mixer until pale yellow and fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix again. Then, add sifted powdered sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
10. Crush freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle (or a powerful food processor). Mix this strawberry powder into the frosting until evenly pink.
11. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, evenly spread and smooth the frosting over the 6 plain cupcakes. And now enjoy your pieces of happiness!