Jubilee recipe: strawberry and almond cupcakes

Strawberry and almond cupcakes

Makes 18

Ingredients
For the cupcakes:

280g caster sugar

280g butter, room temperature

4 eggs

125g ground almonds

185ml milk

280g self-raising flour

For the icing:

250g unsalted butter, room temperature; 500g icing sugar

1 tspn good quality strawberry flavouring or essence, or vanilla extract

To decorate:

Handful of strawberries, quartered

Jubilee decorations, flags, cake toppers, roses etc

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Line a 12-hole and 6-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Mix the caster sugar and butter together in a stand mixer or using an electric whisk, for around 5-7 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and gently mix between each addition.

Stir in the ground almonds and milk and mix. Sift in the flour and gently mix with a metal spoon until incorporated.

Divide the mixture into cupcake cases, up to about two thirds full. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Take out and leave to cool fully before icing.

To make the butter cream icing, beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until pale, add the strawberry flavouring or vanilla extract and then slowly add the icing sugar until it is incorporated to make a thick butter cream.

Pipe the butter cream onto the cakes and decorate.

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