Fancy these beautifully light and fluffy pink Strawberry Cupcakes for your Valentine?
What is more romantic thank making your S.O. their favourite dish? Well, I can tell you - hot pink strawberry cupcakes, filled with strawberry jam, topped with the most amazing strawberry buttercream, and finished off with a chocolate covered strawberry!
It's best to use fresh strawberries in these. But if you've only got frozen, ensure they're defrosted, and pat them as dry as you can with paper towel.
You've kind-of, sort-of seen parts of this cupcake manifested in other Caking It cupcakes before.
My Prosecco & Strawberry Cupcakes feature a similar dreamy buttercream, and the sponge for my Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes is almost identical to this one.
So, with that in mind, you know that these are super easy and quick to make, and taste even more delicious.
I love Valentines Day. I think it’s a wonderful day where everyone is all lovey-dovey and in a good mood!
Regardless of whether you’re with someone, enjoy the day and treat yourself.
Believe me, you’ll want to eat these!
I finish them off with a super easy to make chocolate strawberry. Simply melt some cooking chocolate of your choice (dark, milk or white are all delicious), place your strawberries onto a skewer and dip in the chocolate. I like to rest mine in a drying rack so as they dry with even coverage but laying them on baking parchment will work just as well.
You’ve got plenty of time to get cracking with these babies. Perhaps you could prep them over the weekend, or why not do them on the day itself with your partner?
Happy Valentines & let's get Caking It!
Recipe
180C (170C fan)
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep: 15 mins
Bake: 18 mins
Assemble: 10 mins
Ingredients
Sponge
150g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
150g gluten free self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
100g fresh strawberries
1 1/2 tbsp sour cream
Filling
Strawberry jam
Frosting
100g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
50g chopped strawberries
50ml prosecco
Milk chocolate covered strawberries
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Method: Sponge
Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.
Preheat oven to 180C. Fill a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.
With a fork, cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, bicarb, and xanthan gum with a fork, and then add this to the mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
Chop the strawberries into quarters then add these to the mixture, and gently fold them in. If you want a pink-ish Valentine's tint then add a drop of pink food colouring.
Spoon in the sour cream and fold until combined.
Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into each muffin case. Don't be tempted to add more or they will overflow. If there is still mixture left, then make more cupcakes!
Let the mixture sit in the cases for 20 minutes before placing in an oven for 20 minutes. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the cupcakes should come out clean.
Method: Buttercream
This buttercream is my ultimate all-time favourite!
While the sponges are cooling, move onto the strawberry buttercream.
Cream the butter until pale, and gradually add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated. You can do this either with a standing mixer, an electric hand whisk, or a fork. At this point the mixture should be a little stiff.
Chop the strawberries into chunks. With a fork, gently mash the strawberries till they are broken up. Add to the buttercream and mix until fully combined.
Assembly
Making sure the sponges are completely cool, scoop out the middle of the cupcake with an apple corer, taking care not to go right down to the bottom.
Spoon a little strawberry jam into each cupcake hole.
Pipe on a good layer of the strawberry buttercream.
Place chocolate covered strawberries on top.
Enjoy!
