Strawberries + cream forever

Sometimes, cupcakes get a bad wrap. After surging in popularity a few years ago, people seem to have turned their back on them a bit. Personally, I love them. You know why? Because, a cupcake is the perfect couple of bites of cake with just the right amount of frosting and there is no cutting necessary. Of course cakes can be these amazing artistic expressions that can really be show-stopping in the right hands, but there is an art to the perfect cupcake too…

These vanilla and strawberry cupcakes are fluffy, tender, and filled with a sweet and tangy strawberry filling, then topped with a smooth vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream to give you the perfect couple of bites.

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes

• 160 g (1 1/3 C ) cake flour (you can use all-purpose flour, but result might vary a bit)

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

• 18 g (1 T+ 1 1/2 tsp.) potato or cornstarch (potato is preferred, but you can use cornstarch in a pinch)

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (I use Diamond, half the amount if using table salt or Morton)

• 100 g (1/2 C ) superfine or granulated sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• 50 g (1/4 C ) light brown sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• 28g (2 T) butter (vegan, room temp)

• 72 g (1/3 C ) oil (vegetable, grapeseed, or canola work best)

• 1 C plant milk (room temp)

• 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar (white )

• 1 T vanilla extract (pure)

Strawberry Filling

• 1 lb (454 g, 2 3/4 C chopped) strawberries, stemmed and chopped

• 100 g (1/2 C) granulated sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• 2 T cornstarch

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 2 T Aperol (optional- can sub with another orange liqueur if using)

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 90 g ( 9 T ) aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)

• 200 g (1 C ) granulated sugar

• 240 g (1 C + 1 T ) vegan butter, unsalted and room temp (softened, but not super soft or melted)

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure)

• pinch salt (skip if using salted butter)

You will need:

• Cupcake tin(s)

• Cupcake liners

• Hand or stand mixer

• Scale (if using- you should! )

• Large bowl or stand mixer bowl (for cupcakes and buttercream)

• Small pot (strawberry filling)

• Cooling rack

• Whisk + spatula

• Sifter

• Spoons or ice cream scooper

• Apple corer or piping tip (to remove the center of cupcakes for filling- if you don't have either, a small spoon will do)

• Piping bags (if you don’t have for buttercream, you can just use what I like to call the “scoop and swoop” method of applying buttercream and frosting)

  
  Makes around 12 cupcakes

Products used:

• Silk Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk- I used to always use oat, but I’ve made the switch to soy because it has more protein and I think it lends a better result (especially curdling the vegan buttermilk)- that being said, use your fave plant milk or whatever you have on hand… but if you can, go for unsweetened

• Flora Unsalted Butter - Miyoko’s is another go to fave

• King Arthur Cake Flour- I know people love Swans Down, but it legit just taste like chemicals to me, so I go for KA’s unbleached. Cake flour gives a nice, light crumb, but if you don’t have, can’t find, or it’s cost prohibitive, just use all purpose as a substitute

• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt- the chef’s salt for various reasons I won’t get into here, but…it contains 53% less sodium than standard salt, so that’s why I say to use half if you’re using Morton or table salt.

• Domino Sugar- now, this is a tricky one… my supplier list it as vegan and Domino has stated in the past that the sugar coming from Baltimore, MD, Yonkers, NY or South Bay, FL are all vegan, but at the time (this was around 2017), the supplies coming from west coast were not. Now, this is a good 5 years, so I suspect that it’s all vegan now, but I haven’t had the chance to confirm this, so buy with caution. If you’re a distrustful vegan (aren’t we all? ) go for an organic- just try to get the finest grain you can- your baking results will be better

• Aperol- I like to use this in the strawberry filling because it adds a bit of zing and a slight bitterness that I like to counterbalance the sweetness along with then lemon, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can totally leave it out or sub with some Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Prep:

• Clean, hull, and chop strawberries

• Bring milk and butter to room temp

• Add vinegar to milk to make vegan buttermilk (let set about 5 minutes)

• Cube butter for buttercream

• Line cupcake tins

• Best practice would be to make strawberry filling a few hours or the night before making cupcakes

Helpful Notes:

Milk- In a baking recipe (unless otherwise stated) you want all of your ingredients to be room temp- especially the milk. Room temperature sounds very broad, I mean rooms can be lots of different temperatures… So what does that mean? Technically between 68 and 72 degrees farenheit, but practically, it means you can stick your finger in it and feel nothing. Think of it this way, if it’s too warm you’ll think to yourself “yep, that’s kinda hot” and if it’s too cold, you’ll think, “ooh, that’s cold”. When it’s room temp, it’s nothing…I know it sounds weird, but here we are… To get your milk to room temp quickly, you can pour it a bowl or glass measuring cup and pop it in the microwave for 20-50 seconds (depending on the amount and the microwave). Use whichever plant milk you prefer. My preference used to be plain and unsweetened oat, but now I prefer plain and unsweetened soy. That being said, it all works.

Salt- Diamond Crystal Kosher is my preference, but if you use Morton or table salt, reduce the amount by half as Diamond is less salty than the two.

Sugar- to make sure it’s vegan, use organic as it does not use bone char (yes, it’s as bad as it sounds) in the processing like conventional sugar.

Vinegar- We use vinegar to curdle plant milk, which produces a buttermilk-like substance (this is why I switched to soy milk, it really reacts to the vinegar). Vinegar also reacts with raising agents (baking soda + powder) to give vegan baked goods a nice rise. I use white in this recipe, but apple cider works too.

Oil- Using oil in cakes and cupcake recipes helps to keep the finished product nice and… moist (sorry, I can’t come up with a better word!). I prefer grapeseed to vegetable for health reasons, but if vegetable or canola are all you’ve got, then go for one of those. Coconut oil works, but will change the flavor of your baked good.

Butter- Although I’m using oil, I like to use some vegan butter as well. To me, it helps bring that buttery flavor that we love so much. As far as utility, unless your recipe calls for melted or cold butter (some do), you’ll most likely want yours to be room temp.  You know your butter is room temp when you can easily make an indent with your finger (eww, I know) or a spoon into the butter.  It should be soft and pliable, but not runny or melty.  If you forget to take the butter out to come to room temp, you can use the microwave, but it can be a bit tricky and go melty fast on you, especially vegan butter because it’s made of more water, so use this method with caution (In a pinch, do short 10 second bursts in the microwave and flip the butter often so it doesn't start to melt on one side.  If your butter goes soft and runny, just pop it back into the refrigerator for about 5 minutes).  All in all, best to leave it out to soften naturally.  As for the type of butter, if you can’t find unsalted vegan butter, try reducing the salt in the recipe by ¼  to ½  -  it’s hard to say exactly because the amount of salt will vary from butter to butter, but experiment with your fave and see what works best for you.

Measuring- Listen… just go ahead and get a scale! They’re cheap and the most accurate for baking. I use them to develop my recipes and do the best I can to convert to the cup measurements out of courtesy to those who don’t have one, but trust me, if you like to bake- it will be the best $20 dollars you spend to improve your recipes. If you still refuse, make sure that you use the scoop and level method to measure out your flour to avoid using more than the recipe calls for.

filling

Directions:

Best practice is to make this filling a couple hours ahead (or even better ), the night before you make your cupcakes, so that it has the proper time time to cool off and thicken up.

1. Place all the strawberry filling ingredients (strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, juice, and Aperol, if using) into a small sauce pot, reserving 6 strawberries for the tops of your cupcakes. Stir the mixture until the cornstarch has dissolved.

2. On medium-high heat, bring the strawberry mixture to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and let simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until the strawberries have broken down and the sauce has reduced and thickened- the liquid should easily coat the back of a spoon.

3. Take a spoon or a hard spatula and smash the strawberries against the sides of the pot to break down any remaining large chunks into a smooth-ish consistency. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender or a food processor to smooth out the filling mixture.

4. Set the filling aside to cool while you make the cupcakes. Or you can make the filling a day ahead so it’s ready to go when you are.

cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350° F

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, sift in dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, potato starch, and salt), along with the granulated and light brown sugar. If your sugar is too chunky to sift, add to sifted ingredients. Mix the ingredients with a whisk to combine. Top tip - add chunky sugar to a high-speed blender or food processor to get a finer grain (See TOP TIP below)

2. Add the oil to the dry mixture and mix on low for a minute (with a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), then add the butter and continue to mix on low until you get a crumbly, almost shortbread-like texture.

3. Pour your prepared vegan buttermilk (plant milk + vinegar) into the mix in thirds and mix on low until all the milk has been added.

4. With a spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated in the final mix.

5. Mix on low again- about 20 seconds until all the ingredients are well incorporated (take care not to over mix).

6. The batter is on the runny side, so an ice cream scoop works well to fill the cupcake tin. Other wise use large spoon or pour instead. Fill the tin(s) 2/3 of the way with batter (if you like to measure, about 50-55 grams of batter will give you 12 even cupcakes).

7. Place the tin(s) on the middle rack and bake 15-18 minutes (depending on your oven and your pan color) or until tops spring back when pressed and a toothpick comes out pretty clean-cupcakes continue to cook after they come out of the oven so if there are a couple of small crumbs, that’s ok.

8. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tin and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled. Top tip- if you like a more domed shaped cupcake, place down a silicone mat or some parchment paper- once your cupcakes come out of the oven, carefully flip them out of the pan and onto the surface to cool- this will ensure that your tops don’t flatten out.

9. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, core the center with an apple corer, piping tip, or small spoon and set those pieces aside (they make for a nice snack or if your crafty, you can make some cake pops!)

10. If you have a small piping bag on hand, pour your cooled strawberry mixture into one and tie off, then cut a small opening at the tip (depending on how smooth or chunky your filling is) and squeeze into the centers of your cupcakes-take care not to overfill. If you don’t hav a piping bag, use a small spoon or a small, narrow cup to pour the filling in.

11. Set cupcakes aside and make buttercream.

Top Tip

Using finer grain sugar results in a fluffier cake or cupcake

Caster sugar (aka baker’s sugar or superfine sugar) can be hard to find in the U.S. and even harder to find vegan, so you can make your own!

• Add chunky sugar to a high-speed blender or food processor to get a finer grain

• Blend the sugar for a minute or two (not too long or you will get powder sugar)

• Sift it a couple of times to remove any larger chunks

• Store in an airtight container

Buttercream

If you find the typical American-style buttercream, cloyingly sweet, Swiss Meringue buttercream may just be for you.

Traditionally made with egg whites, to veganize, we use aquafaba instead (learn more about aquafaba here). Along with aquafaba, Swiss Meringue buttercream uses granulated sugar that is heated instead of icing/powder sugar. Butter, the real star of the show, finishes this buttercream off and the result is a silky smooth topping that is great for piping on cupcakes and spreading on your favorite cake.

Directions:

1. Add sugar and aquafaba to a small pot and set to medium-high heat on the stove top.

2. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the temp to medium- let cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. You can test by placing some of the mixture on your middle or index finger, then rub together with your thumb- if it is smooth and you don’t feel any granules, you’re good to go.

3. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and pour into the a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.

4. The mixture will be hot, so we need to cool it down before we incorporate the butter. Either let set until it becomes room temp (68-72 degrees) or with a whisk attachment, start mixing on medium speed. Whisking will help cool down the mixture (you can touch the sides of your bowl to see if the mixture has cooled or not if you don’t have a thermometer)

5. Continue to mix on medium to medium-high speed until you get pretty stiff peaks (if its not completely holding shape, that’s ok).

6. Add in vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated.

7. On a medium-low speed, add in the room temperature butter one or two cubes at a time. Once all the butter is in, mix on medium/medium- high until it fully incorporates and becomes smooth- your mixture might curdle up a bit before smoothing out, but that’s totally normal, just keep mixing until the smooth texture emerges. Top tip- Your buttercream is ready when it is smooth and there are no visible signs of moisture on the sides of your bowl.

8. Place your butter cream in a large piping bag with which ever tip you choose and pipe onto cupcakes or use a spoon or small spatula to frost your cupcakes instead.

9. Cut reserved strawberries in half and place on the tops of your frosted cupcakes. If you like, you can drizzle the strawberry filling on top of the finished cakes.

10. Store your cupcakes in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge a an hour or two before to bring to room temp before eating.

11. Enjoy!

I hope you give these summer-ready cupcakes a try! Let me know if you do < 3

Thanks for stopping by-

xx Debbie, Shorty, + Sophie