Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Fresh strawberries make a beautiful summer cupcake. The strawberry shaped lollies on top of my cupcakes are from a lolly shop in Carlton and when I spotted them I just had to use them. They made an easy cupcake topper and were very popular with children and adults alike.

So what makes this cupcake so amazing? Two very important elements: An incredibly moist and light cake that’s loaded with tons of chopped fresh strawberries, and a strawberry buttercream that balances the cupcake perfectly . But don't just stop with strawberry cupcakes by starting with a light and moist vanilla cupcake and tweaking it with different seasonal fruits you can produce some amazing results.


Enjoy xxx
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My Favourite Chocolate Buttercream for Cupcakes

 

I know that I'm saying that this is my favourite chocolate buttercream for cupcakes and it has been for quite sometime, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to other recipes.

There’s just something about the buttery, satiny smooth and sublime taste of this frosting. The combination of butter that is whipped, just enough icing sugar, and a moderate amount of chocolate makes this positively dreamy. It makes me want to lick the frosting off of the cupcakes and pass on the cupcakes themselves. It’s really that good.

You can easily play around with this basic recipe to make a milk  or white chocolate frosting. I just love everything about the texture and flavour ratios of this frosting. The key is giving the butter a good whipping before adding any other ingredients – it creates a fabulously soft and melt-in-your-mouth frosting.

Enjoy xxx
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Basic Buttercream Frosting

A great frosting for cakes and cupcakes alike is buttercream frosting.

I find that the secret to a light buttercream frosting is in the whipping. I'm sorry but a good buttercream requires a mixer. When making my buttercream frostings I whip the butter with the paddle attachment for a good 6 minutes before adding the sugar and flavourings. I mix them for a minute or 2 on low speed to combine the frosting and then I whip it all again for another 6 minutes to get a light texture to my buttercream.

Buttercream is a great frosting as it lends itself to any type of flavouring, be it essences, fresh fruit, crushed cookies or liqueurs. All you may need to adjust is the amount of icing sugar to get the consistency you need.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

Enjoy xxx
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How to make a chocolate shell for your giant cupcake

A popular cake at the moment is the giant cupcake. Several companies make the pans for this cake, I have seen Wilton, Ecko, Bakers Secret, Fox Run and a silicone moulds available in shops. I have been walking past this tin in the shops for some months now and finally gave in a bought a Wilton giant cupcake tin in early September. Eager to try out my new purchase I volunteered to make my sister-in-laws birthday cake (she turned 21 again this year, lucky girl!).

A favourite cake combination of mine is chocolate and peppermint. So what better way to suprise people then to cut through a white chocolate shell to find chocolate cake and then to take a bite and discover that your pink roses are peppermint flavoured. Delicious.

Enjoy xxx
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