Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). This will ensure that your cupcakes are cooked evenly and come out perfectly.
Spray your cupcake cups with cooking spray or line them with cupcake liners. This will make it easier to remove the cupcakes from the pan once they're done baking.
Place 8 strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the puree through a strainer to remove the seeds. Your puree should equal about 3/4 cup. Set the puree aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, lemon zest, and strawberry puree until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla pudding mix (for a moister cupcake), and red food coloring to reach a desired shade of pink. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups, filling each about
Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven until they have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool at least 10 minutes before frosting.
electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to make a lump-free icing. Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of icing and top each cupcake with a strawberry slice.
