Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

For my little sister's bridal shower we decided to serve different forms/versions of strawberry shortcake. My mom made this cake and my sister-in-law made this trifle  and so I thought it would be fun to make another kind of version. I got on pinterest and searched for cupcake versions and then my mind got rolling and I decided to just mix a couple of recipes I already had to make what I wanted. I mostly used the recipe from the sheetcake my mom was making. It worked wonderfully and the result was absolutely delicious! I was so proud of how they turned out. They even looked gourmet! (I wish I kept a picture to post!)

This yielded about 30 frosted cupcakes (there were maybe 2 that didn't get frosted)

For the cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the middle:
2-3 lbs fresh strawberries diced (keep some quartered for garnish)
2-4 Tbsp sugar

For the "frosting"
8 oz cool whip, thawed
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided

First make cake by combining all ingredients and mixing on low for 1 min. Then mix on medium for 2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake according to box directions (about 20 min). Flip out of pan and let cool completely.
Cut up about 2 1/2 lbs of strawberries into small pieces and place in a bowl and sprinkle with desired amount of sugar and stir together. Place in fridge to let sugar dissolve and create a "sauce".
To make the frosting combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl stir together remaining 1/2 cup powder sugar and cool whip. Then cream the two mixtures together.

To assemble cupcakes:
Hollow out the middle of each cupcake (I used a small paring knife to do this) and set tops aside. Fill each whole with a spoonful of strawberries. Then pipe on the frosting and garnish with a quartered strawberry. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.