Ingredients
Method
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Line your cupcake tin with baking cups.
- Place strawberries in the food processor with 2 tablespoons of sugar and blitz until chunky. Let sit for a few minutes. (Or chop the strawberries, toss them in sugar and let them macerate; once they are soft and mushy, squash them with a fork but leave them a bit chunky.)
- Place the berry mash or puree in a strainer and drain as much juice as you can, but remember to keep that yummy juice!
- In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add one egg (and the egg white) at a time and mix well after each until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl after each addition. Once eggs are well blended, add vanilla or almond extract and mix again for a few seconds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Alternating flour and milk, add a small amount of flour followed by milk, repeating until both are gone in about 3 additions. Blend the batter well in between each addition.
- Take the batter off of the mixer and fold in the strawberry mash and juice. Mix it until it's pink, but it will often have a bit of marbling throughout.
- Fill baking cups 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-24 minutes. They should be lightly golden and a toothpick should come out clean when they are done.
Frosting
- In a mixer, blend cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add in vanilla extract and salt and blend well.
- Alternating strawberry puree and icing sugar, blend on low speed until incorporated before mixing on high speed until light and fluffy.
Little Lady Ladybug Cupcakes
- Frost the cooled cupcakes. Place them in the fridge for a minute, since this frosting is so soft, so it will set and make the next step easier. If you are using a stiffer frosting you don't have to place them in the fridge first.
- Roll the frosted top of the cupcakes lightly in sanding sugar. Press the cupcake gently into the sugar to embed the sugar and give the top a nice smooth surface to work with.
- Use black licorice whip cut to the size of the cupcake to make the separation of the wings (and also for antennae) and a Milk Dud for the head.
- For the spots, simply take chocolate chips and put them upside down into the frosting.
- Add eyes, antennae or a mouth, whatever fits your fancy.
Nutrition
Notes
Yield: about 20 cupcakes. Natalee made mini cupcakes for the ladybugs; standard size works too.
Natalee used orange sanding sugar, but red works for a classic ladybug.
The cupcakes also lend themselves to a dollop of whipped cream, plain cream cheese (or mascarpone), or vanilla buttercream instead of the strawberry frosting.
These cupcakes take no time, are kid friendly, are cute to look at and even better to eat!
Low in sodium; high in vitamin C.