TEST your baking skills and treat yourself to scrumptious strawberry cupcakes which are too good to be true.
These cupcakes will fill your kitchen with the smell of sweet indulgence and are guaranteed to become one of your favourite recipes.
Ingredients:
Strawberry Cupcakes:
* 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour.
* 1/2 tbsp baking powder.
* 1 tsp baking soda.
* 1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
* 4 tbsp ground freeze-dried strawberries (16 grams).
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, room temperature.
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
* 2 large eggs, room temperature.
* 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature.
* 5 oz strawberries, pureed and strained.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature.
* 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature.
* 4 tbsp (16 grams) ground freeze-dried strawberries, sifted.
* 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.
Method:
Strawberry Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground freeze-dried strawberries. Set aside.
3. Beat together butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. In a small bowl, mix together milk and strawberry puree.
4. Add about a third of the flour mixture into the creamed butter. Mix at low-medium speed. Add half of the milk mixture. Continue to mix until almost combined. Add another third of the flour mixture followed by the rest of the milk mixture. End with the last third of flour mixture. Continue to mix until batter is smooth and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour left.
5. Divide batter between twelve cupcakes. Bake for 20-24 minutes until cake is done and a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in tin for a couple of minutes before unmoulding and let cool completely on wire rack. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Sift together ground freeze-dried strawberries and confectioners’ sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add sifted ingredients. Once all in, beat at medium speed until frosting is smooth. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe over cooled cupcakes. Decorate with a sliced strawberry.
