Luscious Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

​Freshly baked Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes are simply delicious! Their centres are filled with homemade strawberry compote, while the tops are garnished with strawberry icing, melted white chocolate, and freeze-dried strawberries. It’s a triple strawberry treat!

I have always loved fresh strawberries, and I like to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Using fresh strawberries in these cupcakes heightens the flavours and makes them a memorable treat. Buy your strawberries in peak season, and you’ll get cheap full-flavoured fruit.

Photo: Megann Evans

Luscious Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Serves: 14 | Prep Time: 45 mins | Cook Time: 15-20 mins | Rest Time: 1 – 2 hours

You’ll have about 14 cupcakes when you finish baking, but they are sure to go fast.

The recipe has three stages – cupcakes, compote and icing. That’s where you get the triple strawberry flavour hit! Scroll to the end for a printable recipe card.

The strawberry compote filling would work equally well over pancakes or ice cream,  or use it to flavour plain yoghurt.  You can freeze any leftovers for later use or just make a double batch, so there’s plenty to go around. Put it in a blender and it would make a fabulous strawberry sauce too.  It will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge if it is in a covered, airtight container.  In the freezer, it will keep for six months.

Tip: Make the compote first as it needs to sit in the fridge for one to two hours to thicken up.

Photo: Megann Evans

Luscious Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Serves: 14 | Prep Time: 45 mins | Cook Time: 15-20 mins | Rest Time: 1 – 2 hours

You’ll have about 14 cupcakes when you finish baking, but they are sure to go fast.

The recipe has three stages – cupcakes, compote and icing. That’s where you get the triple strawberry flavour hit!

The strawberry compote filling would work equally well over pancakes or ice cream.  You can freeze any leftovers for later use or just make a double batch, so there’s plenty to go around.

Tip: Make the compote first as it needs to sit in the fridge for one to two hours to thicken up.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (130 grams) caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Garnishes and Filling

To get the triple strawberry flavour effect you’ll need to use fresh and freeze-dried strawberries.  White chocolate is optional, but it gives a delicious creamy richness to the cupcakes.

These are your garnishes

• Strawberry Icing
• Strawberry Compote
• Freeze Dried Strawberries
• Melted White Chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare two cupcake tins lined with approximately 14 liners.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions and scraping down the sides.
4. In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Put the mixer on low, then slowly add the flour and milk, alternating.
6. Fill the cupcake liners evenly. Then bake for 17 – 20 minutes or until just firm to touch and just turned in golden colour. Cake test with a skewer. Allow to cool.

Icing

Ingredients

• ¼ cup strawberry compote
• 4 cups powdered icing sugar
• 200g butter
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• Pink food dye (optional)

Instructions

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and vanilla until smooth and well blended. Put the mixer on low, then gradually add in the icing sugar.  Scrape down the sides. Add the strawberry compote and beat until frosting is light and fluffy (approx 4 minutes). Only if you need to, you can add a little more icing sugar or milk. You can use a little red food dye to give the mixture more of a pink hue.

Compote

Double or triple this recipe, and you will have extra for later use.  I used three 250 gm punnets of strawberries and I have heaps left over.  I will freeze some and leave the rest in the fridge in a sterile, sealed container. Small strawberries are best as you can pop a whole strawberry from the compote into the cupcake with some of the liquid.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberries
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. Place strawberries, caster sugar, lemon, water and vanilla in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and has thickened slightly, approx. 10 minutes or more. Do not boil. As it cools, the compote will thicken slightly.
2. Transfer the compote bowl to the fridge and leave at least one to two hours before serving or in a jar for later use.
3. How to assemble your Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes
4. A melon baller is perfect to scoop out the centre of each cupcake. Then fill the hole with strawberry compote.
5. Place the icing mixture into a piping bag. I cut a hole at the end of a disposable piping bag and pipe the icing onto the cupcake.
6. Then melt the white chocolate and put it into a piping bag. Snip a tiny hole at the end then drizzle over the cupcakes from a height.
7. Top with dehydrated crumbled (delish) or fresh strawberries. For extra texture, sprinkle with coconut or white chocolate shavings.

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