Jam and Cream Cupcakes

My husband took the kids to the farm for the weekend, and it was really nice to be able to switch off mom-mode for a bit. But it was pretty strange, too. The house was so quiet. So neat!
And oooh, I like neat. I like tidy.
But with a 4 and 5 year old ruling running around, neat and tidy is something I can only aspire to.

So, I have an embarrassingly joyful appreciation of neat solutions when I find one.
How's this:
Using an apple corer to take out a plug of cupcake to make room for a secret centre. Sooo neat!
It works best with a dense cake. Crumbly is not so neat!

Here's the combination I used...

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Jam and Whipped Cream Frosting

White Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

Preheat the oven to 160'C
Line 2x muffin trays with cupcake cases (makes 24)

250g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
300g white chocolate
200g butter
250ml milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla extract 

In a saucepan on low heat, melt the butter and chocolate in the milk. Stir until smooth. 
Set aside to cool slightly. Then whisk in the vanilla and the eggs. 

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. 

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients. Then beat on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake cases. 
Bake at 160'C for 20minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. 

Allow the cupcakes to cool, then use an apple corer to remove a plug of cake. 
Spoon strawberry jam into the hole. 

Whipped Cream

250 ml whipping cream
2 TBS sifted icing sugar 

Place both ingredients into a mixing bowl that has been chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes. 
Whip on high speed until stiff. Don't overdo it! 

Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.  

Wishing you a neat week (if that's the way you like it!)

xxM