Christmas is around the corner and with winters in full swing here, it is the perfect time to whip up some desserts. Cupcakes are always a favorite at our house and it does not matter what flavor it is they sure finish pretty soon. Now this blog is all about easy and simple to do recipes so if you are looking for easy dessert recipes then you are at the right place. But if you are looking for restaurant style and Masterchef worthy dishes you might want to change to another blog. *Ha Ha*
Another confession to make-I do most of my baking in a convection Microwave so if you are a true blue baker this might be sacrilege for you but if you are an ordinary homemaker like me these Microwave recipes might be just what you need.
So I was grocery shopping yesterday and bought fresh strawberries on an impulse. As the evening rolled out I decided to make some Strawberry cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting which we could have as after-dinner dessert and as bonus the daughter gets to take it in her lunchbox the next day.
These will also be a great Christmas day dessert especially if you don’t want to bake a whole cake. Here is the recipe for my lovely readers.
Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Yields 12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup White sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1½ Cup diced strawberries
1/4 cup Oil
1 cup Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
In a bowl beat egg, oil,milk, vanilla extract and sugar. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the strawberries. {Tip: Beforehand drizzle a bit of sugar on the diced strawberries so that they will be more juicy and delicious to bite in}
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spoon batter into cupcakes molds 3/4 of the way. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 210°C until golden and then test with a skewer if it comes clean. Remove from the liners/molds and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Here they are, the beautiful golden color with the strawberry chunks peeking out. Isn’t that a sight for sore eyes. They turned out really light and fluffy. You can just have them like this or frost them. I think the batter can be made into a cake too so next I am going to make a Strawberry cake.
Like I have said in many of my recipes that I don’t really frost the cupcakes because a) they make them heavy and b) I am not really patient enough to make those swirly designs with the frosting.
But this time these strawberry cupcakes were just screaming out for a lovely vanilla butter cream frosting and that is what I made.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
100 gms butter
200 gms Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Cream
Beat the butter, keep adding the sugar until it is merged completely. Now add cream and beat till soft peaks are formed. Add the Vanilla extract. After this you can either pipe it in a pastry bag and make those swirly things or like me you can just spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes for a very rustic look. Top it all with a Strawberry piece and you are good to go.
Aren’t these really easy and simple to make? I hope all of you try this recipe at home and if it turns out well don’t forget to let me know.
If you have any queries don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments.
