Summery Strawberry, White chocolate truffle and Raspberry Cupcakes

As we are now coming into summer soon, strawberries are becoming cheaper and cheaper which is like the best thing ever because it means theres about 10 punnets in the fridge at once!!! To try use up some of the millions of strawberries, I made these cupcakes which have a sponge base with fresh raspberries and strawberries, then topped with a cream cheese and raspberry icing. 

Summery Strawberry and Raspberry Cupcakes 

Berry Cupcakes

adapted from Baking makes things better

1 1/4  cups cake flour 

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

1/2 cup buttermilk 

1/3 cup raspberries, crushed slightly to release some of the juices

1/3 cup strawberries, chopped and slightly crushed to release some of the juices

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases. 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl, stir together and set aside.

Beat eggs for about 20 seconds and gradually add sugar.  Beat for another 30 seconds.  Add vanilla and oil to egg mixture and beat.  Add a third of the flour mix to the egg mixture and beat. Mix the raspberries and strawberries into the butter milk. set aside. 

Add half the buttermilk and beat, then add another third of the flour.  Add the remaining buttermilk and then the flour and beat until combined.

Pour the cake batter in to cupcake cases about ⅔ full and bake for 12 - 14 minutes.  Cool in tin for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Using an apple corer, core the middle of each cupcake out. Set the cupcakes aside. 

Truffle Filling: 

125g white chocolate

125g cream

1tsp vanilla bean paste

Roughly chop the white chocolate and place in a bowl with the vanilla. Set aside. Heat the cream in a sauce pan until barely boiling, then pour over the white chocolate. Let sit for a few seconds before mixing until all the white chocolate has fully melted into the cream. Set aside in the fridge and cool until its ever so slightly runnier than spreading consistency. Beat the mixture with an electric whisk for about 4ish minutes until it fluffs up. Be careful not to over mix as it can cause it to curdle. Place in a piping bag fitted with a filling nozzle. Pipe filling into the middle of each hollowed out cupcake and set aside to be iced. 

Icing:

125g cream cheese, at room temp

35g really soft butter

2 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberry powder 

1 tbsp milk

Fresh berries to decorate

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time until combined. Add the milk and raspberry powder then beat for about 3 o 4 minutes on high until light and fluffy. Place in a piping bag and pipe on top of the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with topping of your choice, but I think the fresh berries look the best.