British summertime means strawberries are everywhere, and after finding ourselves with a fridge full of them (and a few left over), I thought it was the perfect excuse to turn them into a fun little sweet treat. Luckily, our windowsill herb garden was also thriving, with a particularly abundant basil plant providing the perfect excuse to get creative.
Strawberry and basil might sound like an unusual combination, but stranger things have happened… and it turns out they make a pretty delicious pair.
Strawberry Basil Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
Course: CakeDifficulty: ★★★★☆12
servings15
minutes25
minutes30
minutesDelicate and fragrant, these cupcakes are a small summertime treat, celebrating an abundance of tasty British strawberries!
Ingredients
- Strawberry Basil Cupcakes
75 g fresh strawberries (hulled)
5 g basil leaves, or a small bunch
110 g butter (softened)
250 g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
190 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
60 ml milk
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- Strawberry Buttercream
150 g fresh strawberries (hulled and chopped)
2 tsp strawberry jam
110 g butter (softened)
150 g icing sugar
10 ml double cream, or 1 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- The cake
- Preheat the oven to 175°C, and make sure an oven shelf is in the middle of the oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
- Blend the strawberries and basil until creamy. Add the milk and the vanilla, and set aside.
- Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs into the mixture one at a time, mixing between each addition.
- In a seperate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda).
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients, and mix to combine. Repeat until all ingredients have been added. Finally, mix for another couple of minutes to make sure all is properly combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Make sure the mixture is divided evenly between the cases, which should be around 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- The icing
- To make a strawberry reduction, cook the strawberries and the jam over a medium heat until they break down, stirring every minute. You should have a thick puree once they’ve broken down. If strawberry lumps remain, mash them up with a fork. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.
- Beat the butter with an electric whisk or stand mixer. Once pale and creamy, gradually add the cooled strawberry reduction.
- Gradually beat in the icing sugar, and then finally stir through the double cream/cream cheese. The buttercream should be thick and hold its shape well, forming stiff peaks when lifted. If this doesn’t happen, add in a small amount of extra icing sugar to thicken the buttercream.
- Frost the top of each cupcake with a spoonful of icing, smoothing around in a circular motion. If desired, top with a basil leaf.
Notes
- Storage: these cupcakes last best and longest when stored in the fridge. Remove around an hour before eating 🙂
- Buttercream: for a more intense basil flavour, basil can also be blended into the strawberry reduction in the icing.
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