Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

I am now back in Wales and back in my own kitchen, and what better way to celebrate than by baking some cupcakes! Shame that I have returned home to what can only be described as some kind of monsoon!! I've started to become quite depressed by this "summer" that is now mostly cold, rainy and stormy. Where are the barbecues and days at the beach?!  I decided to try and bring a little bit of summer into my household by baking these cupcakes. My family love strawberries and cream, desserts based around those two ingredients dominate our dinner table so they had no complaints about these!

When I think of summer food I think of fruit; particularly berries. Is there anything better than a fruit salad packed with strawberries and grapes (not a berry but I just love grapes!) on a hot summers day?! Especially topped with a mountain of cream - that was my inspiration for these cupcakes! I really liked the contrast of the velvety-soft whipped cream icing with the perfectly sweet strawberry and the perfect bit of bite and the fluffy, soft cupcake! I decided to put the strawberry into the cupcake after they had been baked because I wanted to keep the fresh texture and keep the juices in: a warm, soft strawberry was not what I had in mind for these cupcakes. I also chose whipped cream icing over my usual buttercream as it is less sweet and much lighter on an already sweet cupcake. I very nearly left the cupcakes with plain piped whipped cream but I decided at the last minute to add a little quartered strawberry into the side - how cute do they look?!

Ingredients: (makes approximately 9 cupcakes)

Cupcake
100g self raising flour (sifted)
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
100g unsalted better
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 strawberry for each cupcake (and a few for decoration)
A few drops of pink food colouring (optional - I just like pink cupcakes!)

Icing
500ml double cream
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180c and prepare baking tray with cupcake cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then add eggs 1 at a time and whisk until combined. 
3. Sift flour and baking powder gradually into the mixture and fold in until mixed well. Try not to over-mix at this point. Stir in milk, vanilla and pink food colouring.
4. Add 2 tbsps of batter to each cupcake case and bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. While the cupcakes are baking/cooling prepare the icing. Whip the cream until beginning the thicken, then gradually add the sugar and the vanilla. Continue to whisk until it reached the desired consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
6. Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a hole in the centre of each, big enough for a strawberry to fit in. 

Step 6- cutting the cupcakes.

7. Trim the top off a medium sized strawberry and insert into the hole. Adjust the strawberry or the hole as needed. The adjusting may be unnecessary - I am just a perfectionist! As long as the strawberries fit roughly, that will be okay!

Step 7 - After strawberries are inserted.

8. Pipe the chilled icing onto the cupcakes in your preferred way (I used my favourite Wilton 2D tip). Push the strawberry segment into the side of the buttercream.

9. Eat and enjoy!!

I would love to hear your feedback on my cupcakes, please leave a comment if you enjoyed or have any suggestions :)

Teri x

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