Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes

I absolutely love the orange cupcakes recipe Mel posted just over a year ago, they are so light and fluffy. I had a wee play with it and adapted it to make these cupcakes since strawberry season is starting! Mel’s Strawberry Shortcake muffins are an awesome Summer time treat too.  What are your favourite summer flavours?
Ingredients:
Cupcakes:1 ¾ cup flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons of freeze dried strawberry powder
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup kiwifruit and strawberry juice
100g butter, softened
Frosting:
100g cream cheese, softened
75g butter, softened
1½ – 2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons hot water
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease, or line a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cups.
Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and cream together thoroughly.
Mix flour, salt, strawberry powder and baking powder together in a separate mixing bowl.  Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients ⅓ at a time  alternating with adding portions of the kiwifruit and strawberry juice to the creamed mixture.
Fold in beaten egg whites.  Spoon batter into cupcake holes until ½ full.
Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
To make the frosting, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese and icing sugar with 2 tablespoons warm water. Add more warm water or icing sugar to soften or thicken your frosting.

Raspberry and Lemon Cake

This cake is the taste of summer! I first made it for my sister Meredith’s birthday in mid November but didn’t get a chance to photograph it to share with you, it has been requested several times since then and I have been happy to make it. This was my sweet contribution to our High Tea Picnic. Don’t you just love the bunting Melissa made for the top of the cake?! I think it’s gorgeous!

Ingredients:
Cake
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ – 2 cups raspberries
250 grams sour cream
½ cup milk
zest of 1 medium sized lemon
225 grams butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla paste

Cream Cheese Frosting
250 grams cream cheese
50 grams butter
2 - 2½ cups icing sugar

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and grease and line two 23cm round cake tins.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
In a smaller bowl combine milk, sour cream and lemon zest and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer beat butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time combining well after each addition. Add the vanilla paste before you add the last egg.
Mix in flour mixture alternating with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture.
Gently fold in raspberries.
Divide mixture evenly between your cake pans and cook in your pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top starts to turn a golden brown colour and a skewer can be removed cleanly.
Remove from oven and place pans on cooling racks for about 20 minutes before turning the cakes out to cool completely.
Once completely cool place cream cheese frosting between the layers and on top.
To make the cream cheese frosting mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar gradually one cup to start with and then half a cup at a time. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
*** If using frozen raspberries thaw first and coat with a dusting of flour before adding them to your mix.