Strawberry Cupcakes with Shortbread Hearts
Author: 
Recipe type: Baking
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 17
 
Ingredients
  • CUPCAKES
  • 275g self raising flour (9.7oz)
  • 265g sugar (9.3oz)
  • ½ tsp bi-carb soda
  • 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal mixed with ⅓ cup water)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 cup of almond milk (250ml)
  • 110g melted vegan margarine (3.9oz)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 500g strawberries (2 punnets)
  • 20g sugar
  • ICING
  • 200g vegan margarine (7oz)
  • 470g icing sugar (17.5oz)
  • 30g freeze dried strawberries (blitzed to a powder)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • SHORTBREAD HEARTS
  • 180g gluten free flour (6.3oz)
  • 60g castor sugar (2.1oz) (Plus some more to sprinkle on top)
  • 125g vegan margarine (4.4oz)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 175°C (347°F)
  2. PUREE FOR CAKE
  3. Remove stems and leaves from strawberries and cut in half before placing in a food processor. Blitz until pureed.
  4. Pour puree into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add sugar and stir then simmer until the puree has reduced by about half. You will end up with about 250g of puree but it doesn’t need to be exact.
  5. It will take about 20 minutes and you need to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. Remove from heat and place in a bowl or container and put in the fridge to cool before making cake batter.
  6. CAKE
  7. Sift flour and bi-carb soda and add to a large bowl.
  8. Add sugar and salt and stir through to combine.
  9. Pour melted margarine and milk into mix, add vanilla and beat well.
  10. Add cooled puree and mix well.
  11. To make the flax egg, mix flax and water into a small bowl and mix well. Do this just before you add it to the cake batter otherwise it becomes too thick.
  12. Beat well until all combined.
  13. Using an ice-cream scoop, add one scoop to each cupcake wrapper.
  14. Bake for 25-30 minutes but check after 15 minutes as ovens can vary.
  15. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until room temperature.
  16. ICING
  17. Blitz dried strawberries in a coffee bean grinder or food processor until they become a fine powder.
  18. Add the margarine to a large bowl and whip with your beaters.
  19. Add half the icing sugar and the strawberry powder and beat until soft.
  20. Add the other half of the sugar and the vanilla and beat until soft and fluffy.
  21. Taste to make sure you don’t need to add more of any of the ingredients.
  22. SHORTBREAD
  23. Heat oven to 190°C (375°F).
  24. Using a mix master or hand mixer, beat sugar and vegan margarine together until smooth.
  25. Add flour and mix until well combined.
  26. Using floured hands roll mixture into a large ball.
  27. Place ball of mixture on a floured surface and roll out until it is about 2mm thick
  28. Use small heart cookie cutter to cut our cookies and sprinkle with castor sugar.
  29. Place on a tray or plate covered with baking paper and put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking.
  30. Bake for 15-20 minutes, if they go brown, they are overcooked. Remove from oven to cool on a cooling rack.
Recipe by my vegan plate at https://www.myveganplate.com/strawberry-cupcakes-with-shortbread-hearts/