These Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes have a vanilla cupcake, a hidden strawberry jam centre topped with fresh cream, fresh strawberries and freeze-dried strawberries.
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Baking Cups
Whenever I am making cupcakes, I always use these Baking Cups from Iced Jems. There are a few reasons why I absolutely love them, one of the reasons is that they come in so many different colours and designs; you can get plain, polka dots, gingham, metallic and more.
They are also super easy to use. You don’t need to use a muffin tray you can put them on a flat baking tray and they hold their shape while they bake. Unlike standard cupcake cases which warp and stretch slightly if you bake them without using a muffin tray, these ones stay perfect.
Another reason I love them is that they open out into little plates. Perfect for catching any stray crumbs.
Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes
So, these cupcakes use only five main ingredients –
Self-Raising Flour – Whenever I make cupcakes, I always use self-raising flour, however, you can use plain flour and add in baking powder. Self-raising flour is essentially just plain flour with the baking powder already added. Head down to the alternatives section for the amounts.
Caster Sugar – You can use most types of sugar in cupcakes, I went with the traditional caster sugar as I wanted to add vanilla extract to give them flavour. I wanted the Strawberry and Cream to be the star of these cupcakes so not adding too much flavour to the cupcakes through sugar was my plan.
Related Recipes
Strawberry and White Chocolate Muffins
Butter/Spread – In the cupcakes, you can use either unsalted butter or a baking spread like Stork, a supermarket’s own brand of baking or a soft spread will also work perfectly. Creamed together with the butter at the beginning of baking helps incorporate air into the mixture and helps ensure that the ingredients are fully combined and you’re not going to get an unmixed chunk of butter.
Large Eggs – I always use 1 egg for 50g of sugar. For example, these cupcakes use 145g of caster sugar, so I have used 3 eggs. If the cupcake mixture had 200g of caster sugar, I would use 4 eggs.
Vanilla Extract – There are so many different vanilla extracts available to buy. I have always used Nielsen-Massey. They are my absolute favourite, but they are quite expensive. You can get a supermarket’s own brand of vanilla extract or less expensive brands. Just ensure that it is extract and not flavouring.
Baking the Cupcakes
The cupcakes should be baked for around 15-20 minutes. There are a few different ways to tell if they are baked. One way is to use a cake tester or skewer to test the thickest part of the cupcake (normally the centre). If the skewer comes out clean, then the cupcakes are ready. If there is still batter on the cupcakes, then pop them back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat.
Another way to test if the cupcakes are baked is to gently press down on the top of them with your finger. When you remove your finger, if the cupcake springs back to its original shape, then they are ready. If you end up with a dent in the top of your cupcake, then they need to be baked for longer. Pop them back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat.
I don’t mind that my cupcakes have domes in the centre. If you want them to be completely flat then I would recommend cooking them at a lower temperature for longer.
The cupcakes need to cool completely before we can add the hidden centre and decorate, otherwise, the buttercream will just melt. Leave them to cool for 15-20 minutes in the muffin tray before moving onto a wire rack to cool fully.
Hidden Centre
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled remove the centre of the cupcake using a cupcake corer. The jam needs to be slightly soft before you add it to the centre of the cupcakes.
There are a few different ways to do this. You can pop it into a bowl and mix the jam until it loosens, or you could pop it into the microwave for no longer than 20 seconds to soften.
Whipped Cream
Decorating the top of the cupcakes I just whipped up some double cream, until it forms stiff peaks.
You must use double cream or extra thick whipping cream, single cream won’t work. The double cream needs to be thick enough to hold its own shape when it is piped onto the top of the cupcakes otherwise it will just slide off.
Decoration
I went with a simple decoration of half a strawberry and some freeze-dried strawberries. But you can decorate the cupcakes however you fancy.
Alternatives
If you are using plain flour instead of self-raising flour add 1tsp of baking powder to every 150g of plain flour you use.
Equipment
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Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 145 g Unsalted Butter or Baking Spread
- 145 g Caster Sugar
- 145 g Self-Raising Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Hidden Centre
- 200 g Strawberry Jam
For the Topping and Decoration
- 600 ml Double Cream
- 6 Strawberries (halved)
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and leave to one side.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until they are all combined.
- Split the mixture into the cupcake liners. I use a small ice cream scoop to do this so I know that they are all even.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You will know the cupcakes are ready when they are springy to the touch.
- Leave them to cool for 15-20 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool fully.
For the Hidden Centre
- Add the Strawberry Jam to a large bowl and pop it into the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften.
- Remove the centre of the cupcakes and fill with the strawberry jam.
For the Topping and Decoration
- Whip the double cream until if forms stiff peaks.
- Pop into a piping bag and pipe onto the top of the cupcakes.
- Decorate with your halved Strawberries and freeze-dried Strawberries.
