Every now and then I do crave a cupcake. A nice hot cup of tea, my latest issue of Red magazine and a cupcake. Just perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon. This recipe uses frozen strawberries so as not to make the mixture curdle and you could substitute with any fruit. I’ve topped this with a chunk of Thorntons chocolate as I was given some at an event recently and thought it was a nice decoration.
Easy afternoon treat
You’ll need
- 125g soft unsalted butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 175g self raising flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 100g frozen strawberries
- For the frosting: 100g butter, 50g cream cheese, 300g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- For the decoration: hundreds and thousands, chocolate chunks
To make 12
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.
- Sieve the flour and set aside
- Beat the butter on its own for about 5-10 minutes – you want it nice and soft. I leave it in my KitchenAid with the paddle beater on setting 4.
- Add the caster sugar a little at a time until it is all combined and fluffy. You will need to scrape down the sides about 4 or 5 times to get the hard bits at the bottom. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together and then add it to the butter and sugar mixture about a tablespoon at a time. Make sure it’s fully combined before you add any more.
- When it’s all combined, it should be light and fluffy and well aerated.
- Now get your frozen strawberries and blitz them in a food processor til you get small breadcrumb like bits – it doesn’t matter if there are a few big ones.
- To the egg, butter and sugar mixture, add a third of the flour, a third of the frozen strawberries and 1 tbsp milk and then fold this in gently and lightly.
- Repeat this twice more til all the milk, strawberries and flour are well folded in.
- Spoon this into the cupcake cases – usually about 2-3 tablespoons per case.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes til golden brown on top.
- Leave to cool in the tin slightly and then transfer them to a wire rack while you make the frosting.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese for about 5 minutes til well combined and softened. Again I do this in the KitchenAid but you could use a large bowl and wooden spoon. It will just take double the time (for me anyway!)
- Slowly tip in the icing sugar into the bowl and then, if using a KitchenAid, cover over with a damp tea towel This just stops the icing sugar going everywhere.
- Beat on a very slow speed or slowly til all the icing sugar is combined and then speed up and beat til smooth and fluffy.
- Leave in the fridge for minimum of 10 minutes or until your cupcakes are ready to decorate.
- When you’re ready to decorate, bring the frosting up to room temperature, spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1cm nozzle.
- Pipe zig zag lines across the top of the cupcakes and then sprinkle over some hundreds and thousands and then plop a chunk of chocolate on top.