Wow has this week been hectic. l've finally completed a full week at my new job and I'm still absolutely loving it. l think I'm slowly learning that if you're not doing something you love then you are going to resent having to go in everyday. This week I've even worked late twice, but you won't here a winge or a moan from me because I'm just so excited to be doing such interesting work!
Still...work isn't eveything and we all need to find ways to relax. This is going to be quite difficult for me.
Much of this weekend was taken up with flat hunting. l'm in a period of transition right row and can't afford to just sit back and watch the weekends pass me by.
Nonetheless with all this going on I've decided to make Sunday's a day for baking and blogging. For me there is nothing more relaxing than mixing cake batter or icing swirls of buttercream. Who's with me?
I first made these cakes when Wimbledon was in full flow. When the tennis is on it seems inevitable that everyone becomes obsessed with strawberries and cream. I took these two classics and turned them on their head - the cream became buttercream and the strawberries HAD to be dipped in chocolate (it's my favourite way to eat them afterall).
This didn't seem enough though. A vanilla cupcake wasn't going to be immensely transformed just by adding Chocolate Dipper Strawberry Toppers, so instead I chose to pop them on top of a red velvet cupcake. Not only did the red sponge look striking against the light buttercream and vibrant red strawberries, but the cocoa powder in the sponge also tied in with the chocolate the strawberries had been dipped in!
The combination really is inspired. If you too love the strawberry and chocolate combo then you should definitely give it a go.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with chocolate dipped strawberry toppers
Red velvet cupcakes with chocolate dipped strawberry toppers!
Ingredients
- 300 g caster sugar
- 120 g butter
- 250 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 drops red food gel
- 500 g vanilla butter cream
- A punnet of strawberries
- 100 g chocolate
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 and line your cupcake tins with paper cases.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and soft.
- In a separate bowl, or measuring jug, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, food colouring and vanilla.
- Make a paste out of the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and then add this to the wet buttermilk mixture.
- Begin adding the wet mixture to the creamed butter/sugar slowly. Mix the batter well until it is smooth in consistency.
- Once thoroughly combined fold in half of the flour and cocoa. Fold in the remaining half before dividing between the cake cases.
- Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 25mins or until the sponge is light and springy.
- Allow to cool before decorating.
- To decorate pipe swirls of vanilla butter cream. Melt 100g of chocolate and dip the bottom half of the strawberries into it.
- Place the strawberries on a sheet of grease proof paper and refrigerate until the chocolate has set again.
- Place the strawberries on top of the butter cream to finish.
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