Fruit Cupcake aka Breakfast of Champions

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a large 6-cupcake tray.
2. Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to blend.
3. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, beating on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. With a spatula, be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Change the mixing speed from medium to low, pour in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add half the buttermilk and beat until blended. Repeat, switching between flour and buttermilk, blending in between. As soon as last buttermilk addition has been blended, immediately stop blending.
5. Beat in the strawberries and cherries until just combined. I prefer to have them diced, rather than pureeing the berries into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, using the spatula to even the surface top. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until browned and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Meanwhile, make the drizzle. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, cherries, sugar, and ¼ cup water. Cook over medium heat until the fruit is very soft and mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Taste and add more sugar, lemon juice or salt as needed. You may either serve this as is or transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, I prefer chunky but that’s up to you!
8. Make the whipped cream. In an electric mixing bowl, whip all the ingredients together until you have soft peaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
9. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack; once cool, use a knife to cut around each cupcake and gently place one on each plate. Serve with the Strawberry-Cherry Compote Drizzle and Honey-Salted Caramel Whipped Cream.