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Strawberry topped vanilla cupcakes!

Published 30 April 2012 by Veronica Stillwater

I opted for pink icing this week, keeping the frosting natural by using strawberries as both a flavouring and colouring.  They are light, fluffy and quick and easy to make. Using the electric whisk for the mixing of the cakes and the food processor to make the icing, these are as simple as!

Watch out for next week's video on  different types of piping as featured so far in this blog for you to be able to see just how easy piping and decorating can be!

 

For the cakes you will need:
Large mixing bowl
Electric Whisk
12 cup muffin baking tin
12 large muffin cases
Tablespoon

Ingredients for the cakes:
125g butter or margarine (If using butter this will need to be softened at room temperature)
125g sugar
150g Plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1-2 tablespoons milk depending on consistency (Needs to be dropping consistency)

 

Turn the oven on to 180°c. Using the electric whisk, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy add the eggs and beat for just a few seconds to combine. Add the plain flour, baking powder. Once combined if the texture is a little stiff and not of dropping consistency add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time and mix well to combine until a smooth but thick spooning texture is achieved. Spoon into the cupcake case lined muffin baking tin and bake at 180° for approx. 20-30 minutes until golden and all have risen. You can always check by inserting a skewer to see if it comes out clean. If there is still cake mixture seen on the skewer when testing, continue to bake for a further 5 minutes and check again. Once baked and all the cakes are golden and risen fully, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the Frosting you will need:
Mixing bowl
Spatula
Electric Whisk
x2 Piping bags
x1 small star nozzle               
x1 small small basket weave nozzle

Ingredients:
75g Butter
2 very large strawberries or 4 very small ones
600g icing sugar
1 teaspoon cream cheese

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until a smooth piping consistency is formed. You will need to pause and pulse blitz a few times to achieve a smooth enough consistency to ensure that the strawberries are broken down enough to not get stuck in the piping nozzle when it comes to decorating. If the mixture is a little too wet, as it will really depend on just how juicy the strawberries you are using are. Add a tablespoon of icing sugar more and check the consistency, repeating until you can see it will take it own shape and hold form. 

Using each of the piping bags with each of your nozzles and filled with frosting, decorate each of the cakes using circles, loops, bows, ribbons etc. With the circular basket weave decoration I just started with one circle overlapping the next one in a continuous repetitive motion, working from the outside in, overlapping on each layer. Once an entire circle of overlapping circles was completed, just work your way around again working inwards. To create the little bows, use the basket weave nozzle starting with the loop of the top of the bow, pipe from a starting point and raise the piping bag back towards you creating an arch/loop and then sweep downwards to create the ribbon ends. 

   

For the swirl and star with ribbon cupcakes, using the star nozzle, start from the centre outwards and leave a small centre for your star piping detail at the end. Create a circle and keep with the continuous movement constantly piping in a circular motion until you have reached the outer edged of the cake. Then using the same piping bag with the star nozzle starting at the centre of the cake start with a circle sweeping into the centre then applying constant pressure in the one spot whilst slowly raising the piping bag to finish off with a star. Then using the piping bag with the basket weave nozzle, finish off either side with a little bow as described above to complete the decoration.

One of the cupcakes was decorated using the star nozzle just piping in small lines back and forth across the top easing off towards each end on the pressure of the piping bag and tailing off. You can create squiggly lines and odd shapes just by experimenting. Again, you can always use one cupcake to practice on or use a piece of greaseproof paper to practice your piping techniques on allowing you to scoop it back up and use it in your piping bag when it comes to the actual decorating of the cupcakes.

              

Next week, I shall do a video, showing all the piping techniques to date featured in the blog. Hopefully this shall make it a little easier also in being able to actually see it being done also. You can opt to decorate all the cupcakes with one technique to make them all uniform or just go crazy and make them each individual and unique. Serve up and enjoy the hint of strawberry cupcake goodness!

Its always a good idea to store your cupcakes in an airtight container and keep refrigerated until 10 minutes before serving to bring them to room temperature for the eating.

Until next week! Enjoy.