Strawberry Mini Cup Cakes

      A recent indulgence in our local farmer's market led to a strawberry overstocked refrigerator at our place.  I decided to try a new recipe to make bite size desserts to bring to a friend's place.

Local Farmers Market 

Though there were unending options available,  I stuck to a very basic and easy recipe and made these mini cupcakes with butter cream frosting and they turned out to be really moist and tender. The mixing method was a little different ; the butter was cut into small pieces and then mixed with other dry ingredients to create a sandy texture. The recipe I found called for vanilla frosting but I added a strawberry to add onto the flavor .

Yields : 24 mini cupcakes
Prep Time : 15 mins for cake ;15 mins for frosting
Bake Time : 25 mins

 

Ingredients for Strawberry Cupcakes:

Butter cut into small pieces

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree (~1 cup whole, fresh berries )

 Method :

•  Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease.
•  In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until it is cut into the flour mixture and no piece larger than a small pea remains.
• Add in egg and strawberry puree and pulse until batter comes together.
• Divide batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and tops spring back when lightly pressed.
• For full size cupcakes, bake for 17-20 minutes.
• Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

  

  Make sure to always cool cakes before frosting

 Ingredients for Strawberry Buttercream frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 -2 medium sized strawberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar

 Method :

• Beat together butter, milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
•  Gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar until buttercream  is thick, fluffy and spreadable.  

Enjoy Baking and sharing !!!


Ajanta from Walnut Creek

Chocolate Cupcake with Mocha Frosting

Cupcakes are always safer to bake as we can control the portion size and it takes lesser time. So last week for a friends get together, I decided to bake very simple chocolate ones. Never doubt the power of chocolate :P  Wanted it to look a little fancy and hence decided to use mocha frosting;  I love mocha :D and this recipe has been tried and tasted by a friend so I gave it a shot.

Packed tight and ready to go  :)

Prep Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 30 mins
Serves: I never comment on that ;) it made 12 cupcakes though!

Ingredients :

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs ( room temperature) 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Whipping cream - 1/2 cup

Instant coffee powder - 1/4 tsp

Milk chocolate - 0.5-1 oz / 5-6 cubes ; this depends on your love for chocolate

Method:

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners.
• Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. 
• With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
• Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While cupcakes are in oven, prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

• Melt the chocolate in a microwave at low power.
• Add coffee powder and blend well to make sure there are no lumps. Let it cool.
• Whip the cream with electric mixer till it forms stiff peaks and add the chocolate mixture to it. 

Tip from friend:  If you don't want to add chocolate, you can mix the coffee with a few teaspoons of whipping cream or milk and then add it to the whipped cream.

Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with frosting using a table knife or small offset spatula.
Decorate with grated chocolate, walnut / almonds or anything of your choice.

Enjoy baking! Bon Appetit ...

Ajanta from Walnut Creek, CA this time :)