When you were a kid, and you opened the tub of Neapolitan ice-cream, did you go for the chocolate, vanilla or the strawberry ice-cream? If you went straight for the strawberry, then this is the cupcake for you. I was a choc/strawberry mix girl and vanilla was ignored until it was the only ice-cream left in the tub.
This cupcake is full of real strawberries, pureed and blitzed to squeeze out every last bit of strawberry goodness. It is pretty and pink from the natural colour of the strawberries so shortbread hearts seem like the perfect topper to add. They would be great cakes for Valentine’s Day.
The last cupcake recipe I created took weeks to perfect but this one just fell into place quickly. I avoided some of the mistakes of other people by searching the web and I found 2 great tips. The first is to reduce the strawberry puree to increase the flavour and the second was to add powdered freeze dried strawberries to the icing for a strong flavour and natural colour.
I have mentioned this in previous cupcake posts but I always use an ice-cream scoop to measure the cake batter into cupcake wrappers. I use one of the old style ones with the release handle and it makes the job quick and easy.
I also prefer to use the more upright cupcake wrappers in a thin cardboard rather than the traditional wrappers. The reason is that the traditional wrappers can be very fickle about peeling back from the cooked cake. If you undercook slightly then do it. If you keep them in a sealed plastic container, they do it. It doesn’t always happen but with the wrappers than I now use, it never happens and that make me happy! The other great advantage of these wrappers is that you don’t have to use a special pan. Then just sit on a flat tray and won’t lose their shape. I love the range of colours and patterns they come in too and I try to use one which will suit the type of cupcake I am making.
Before starting to bake the cakes, make the strawberry puree by following directions in the instructions. The puree needs to be cooled before adding to the cake so you can even make it the day before if you like.
It might be the pureed strawberries but these cakes take longer to cook than most cupcakes. They take about 25-30 minutes to cook but I always test after 15-20 minutes just in case. If your cake tester comes out clean, they are ready to come out. Move to a cooling rack and leave until cool. I usually place a light tea towel over the top whilst cooling.
While the cupcakes are cooking, you can make your shortbreads. You can also just skip this step but I really like to add a little something extra to the top of my cupcakes. It’s like a little present for whoever is eating the cake.
- CUPCAKES
- 275g self raising flour (9.7oz)
- 265g sugar (9.3oz)
- ½ tsp bi-carb soda
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal mixed with ⅓ cup water)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup of almond milk (250ml)
- 110g melted vegan margarine (3.9oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500g strawberries (2 punnets)
- 20g sugar
- ICING
- 200g vegan margarine (7oz)
- 470g icing sugar (17.5oz)
- 30g freeze dried strawberries (blitzed to a powder)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- SHORTBREAD HEARTS
- 180g gluten free flour (6.3oz)
- 60g castor sugar (2.1oz) (Plus some more to sprinkle on top)
- 125g vegan margarine (4.4oz)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pre-heat oven to 175°C (347°F)
- PUREE FOR CAKE
- Remove stems and leaves from strawberries and cut in half before placing in a food processor. Blitz until pureed.
- Pour puree into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add sugar and stir then simmer until the puree has reduced by about half. You will end up with about 250g of puree but it doesn’t need to be exact.
- It will take about 20 minutes and you need to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. Remove from heat and place in a bowl or container and put in the fridge to cool before making cake batter.
- CAKE
- Sift flour and bi-carb soda and add to a large bowl.
- Add sugar and salt and stir through to combine.
- Pour melted margarine and milk into mix, add vanilla and beat well.
- Add cooled puree and mix well.
- To make the flax egg, mix flax and water into a small bowl and mix well. Do this just before you add it to the cake batter otherwise it becomes too thick.
- Beat well until all combined.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, add one scoop to each cupcake wrapper.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes but check after 15 minutes as ovens can vary.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until room temperature.
- ICING
- Blitz dried strawberries in a coffee bean grinder or food processor until they become a fine powder.
- Add the margarine to a large bowl and whip with your beaters.
- Add half the icing sugar and the strawberry powder and beat until soft.
- Add the other half of the sugar and the vanilla and beat until soft and fluffy.
- Taste to make sure you don’t need to add more of any of the ingredients.
- SHORTBREAD
- Heat oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Using a mix master or hand mixer, beat sugar and vegan margarine together until smooth.
- Add flour and mix until well combined.
- Using floured hands roll mixture into a large ball.
- Place ball of mixture on a floured surface and roll out until it is about 2mm thick
- Use small heart cookie cutter to cut our cookies and sprinkle with castor sugar.
- Place on a tray or plate covered with baking paper and put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, if they go brown, they are overcooked. Remove from oven to cool on a cooling rack.
When you are mixing the shortbread dough, it will feel like it isn’t coming together. Be patient though and the dry crumb will start to form larger balls of dough. They will still be small but you can then press the balls of dough together to make one smooth ball of dough. Cut the dough in half and roll half the dough out on a floured surface. Roll until it is only a couple of millimetre’s thick – I’m not sure how to say that in inches, maybe 0.07inches. You want it pretty thin because the biscuits are only small. Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the hearts and place them on a tray or large plate covered with baking paper and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes before baking.
While they are the cakes and shortbreads are cooling, it’s time to make the icing. First blitz your freeze dried strawberries in a food processor, or what I use is a coffee bean grinder. Then add the margarine to a large bowl and whip with your beaters. I then add half the icing sugar plus the strawberry powder and beat until soft. I then add the other half of the sugar and the vanilla and beat until soft and fluffy. I always taste to make sure it is ok. You can always add a bit more or any of the ingredients if you don’t think the flavours are balanced enough for your tastebuds.
Once the cakes and shortbreads are cooked and cooled it is time for the fun part. Using a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice, pipe the icing and then add two little hearts to the top. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply