Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes

The mist finally lifted, just in time for a cookie class - royal icing just does not dry in 100% humidity : ( 

and we had a lovely sunny nearly-Spring day for our "Bugs and Butterflies" class.  

And tea today was in the Spring mood, too: Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes. Yum!

Strawberry cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking power

120g butter, at room temp

1 cup sugar 

1 egg

2 egg whites 

1/4 cup cream (whipping cream / heavy cream *)

80ml strawberry puree (just whizz the whole strawberries in your food processor, or mash finely)  

a pinch of salt

* this is cream that has a fat content of approx 35%, so if you look at the nutritional information, it will have 35g total fat per 100ml 

Preheat oven to 180'C.  

In a bowl, sift together baking powder, flour and salt. 

In the bowl of your mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  

Add the eggs and egg whites - scrape down the sides of the mixer - and mix well.  

Add half the flour to the egg/butter/sugar mix.  Combine gently. 

Add in the strawberry puree and cream, mix.

Add in the second half of the flour.  Mix until just combined.  

Spoon out batter into 12 cupcake cases in a muffin baking tray. 

Bake at 180'C for 20-25 minutes - until a skewer comes out clean.  

Icing:

Whipped Strawberry Cream 

250ml whipping cream 

2 TBS caster sugar

80ml chilled strawberry puree or strawberry jam  (consider omitting the sugar if you use jam, depending on your taste) 

In a cold mixing bowl whip together the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Then add the strawberry puree. Whip until stiff - but don't turn it into strawberry butter ; )

Ice the cool cupcakes with this delicious, light (as in weight - not fat content!!) only slightly sweet frosting.  

Finish with a dollop of puree or a whole strawberry as garnish. 

Simply, perfectly strawberry : )

xxM