STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING RECIPES

Steps:

• Prep time: 30 minutes, plus chilling. Cook time: 15 minutes

  Begin by making the icing, as this needs chilling. Whisk the butter with an electric hand whisk until pale and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar. Stir with a spoon to roughly combine and then beat with the electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the ice cream and whisk until just combined. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

  Whisk the chilled icing until fluffy then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and put it back in the fridge while you get on with the baking.

  Preheat the oven to180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole large muffin tray with some cupcake cases of your choice. To the base of each one, add a cookie, then top that with a whole strawberry, pointy bit facing up.

  Now make the cake batter by adding the clotted cream and sugar to a mixing bowl and beating them together until light and fluffy.

  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

  Add the vanilla bean paste and flour and mix until you have a smooth batter.

  Divide the mixture up between the 12 cases, making sure that each delicious strawberry is fully encased, until you have no batter left.

  Tap the tray on the work surface to level off the batter and bake for 15 minutes, until they are fluffy and golden.

  Take out and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

  Pipe the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and then sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries.

  Best kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Prep time: 30 minutes, plus chilling. Cook time: 15 minutes

  Begin by making the icing, as this needs chilling. Whisk the butter with an electric hand whisk until pale and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar. Stir with a spoon to roughly combine and then beat with the electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the ice cream and whisk until just combined. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

  Whisk the chilled icing until fluffy then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and put it back in the fridge while you get on with the baking.

  Preheat the oven to180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole large muffin tray with some cupcake cases of your choice. To the base of each one, add a cookie, then top that with a whole strawberry, pointy bit facing up.

  Now make the cake batter by adding the clotted cream and sugar to a mixing bowl and beating them together until light and fluffy.

  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

  Add the vanilla bean paste and flour and mix until you have a smooth batter.

  Divide the mixture up between the 12 cases, making sure that each delicious strawberry is fully encased, until you have no batter left.

  Tap the tray on the work surface to level off the batter and bake for 15 minutes, until they are fluffy and golden.

  Take out and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

  Pipe the frosting onto the tops of the cupcakes and then sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries.

  Best kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.