• Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.

Make the strawberry cupcake batter

• Add ½ oz of freeze dried strawberry to a food processor and process until a powder forms. Keep a kitchen towel draped over the food processor while it’s working to prevent the strawberry powder to escape and fly everywhere.
• Add strawberry powder to a small mixing bowl along with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix with a whisk to distribute evenly. Set aside.
• In the same food processor used previously for the freeze dried strawberry, add the fresh strawberry and puree. Add strawberry puree in a medium mixing bowl along with buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat together with a whisk until smooth.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and fold until just combined.

Make the chocolate cupcake batter

• In a small mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix with a whisk to distribute evenly. Set aside.
• Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Beat together with a whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and fold until just combined.

Prepare the batter and bake

• Use a small ice cream scoop to divide the strawberry batter into the prepared muffin pans, about 2 tablespoons each. Then use the same ice cream scoop to add the chocolate batter on top of the strawberry batter. This should be enough for 24 cupcakes.
• Bake in the middle oven rack for 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to the touch, remove cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Prepare the filling and frosting

• Add pudding mix and milk to a medium bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes or until ready to use.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add heavy whipping cream and sugar, beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed until the mixture thickens slightly. Stream in the vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peak forms. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the cupcakes

• Use the bottom of a frosting tip to cut out holes on top of a cupcake, push down and twist. Use a chopstick to push out the plug inside the frosting tip. Repeat one more time to create a deeper hole for plenty of space for filling.
• Spoon in 2 heaping teaspoons of the prepared banana cream pudding to fill the hole. Alternately, fill a pastry bag with the pudding and quickly fill each hole to the top. Add the plugs of cupcake back on top to cover the filling.
• Add whipped cream to another pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe whipped cream on top of the cupcakes.
• Repeat the process for the rest of the cupcakes. Garnish with chopped walnuts.