Strawberry cupcakes

Freeze-dried strawberries have a naturally sweet, tart flavour that make these cupcakes really pop. And because they're so pretty, these cupcakes are ideal for parties and picnics.

Strawberry cupcakes Credit: Donna Hay

• makes

  12

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 125 g unsalted butter
• 1¾ cups (260 g) self-raising flour
• ¾ cup (165 g) caster (superfine) sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (125 ml) milk
• ¼ cup (15 g) freeze-dried, chopped, plus extra to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line 12 x ½-cup-capacity (125ml) muffin tins with paper cupcake cases.
2. Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring with a spatula, until melted.
3. Place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a big bowl and, using a whisk, mix to combine. 
4. Add the melted butter, the eggs, vanilla, milk and freeze-dried strawberries, and whisk until well combined and smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
6. Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Move onto wire racks to cool completely, before spreading with your favourite icing (see recipes, below), and sprinkling with extra freeze-dried strawberries.

 

Vanilla cupcake icing

Place ⅓ cup (80g) chopped and softened cream cheese and ½ cup (120g) fresh firm ricotta in a medium bowl. Using a whisk, mix them together until lovely and smooth (you can use a food processor for this step if you don’t have time to soften your cream cheese). Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Keep in the fridge and spread over the cooled cakes when ready to serve. Ices 12 cupcakes.

This recipe is from Donna Hay: Basics to Brillance Kids on SBS Food (Channel 33). Stream episodes via SBS On Demand. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.