Strawberry & Vanilla Cupcakes

Salam Alaikum,
So you all know by now, how much my family and i can't get enough of baking and eating cupcakes, i don't know quite what it is about them i adore. It could be their cute, individual portions of fluffiness or their irristabuble creamy toppings. Also, when something is small, it means we can eat more of them, right?

Strawberry season lasts for 6 weeks which also happens to coincide with british summer time so, enjoy both sunshine and strawberry while you can! A few british classics using strawberries are Eton Mess, summer pudding, or simply strawberries and cream.

I was all out of butter, so i opted for the next best thing in my fridge vegetable shortening! I haven't a clue if it's healthier but these cakes did seem less calorific, in a good way! There was more natural sweetness coming through from the strawberry puree in both the cake and the frosting and the natural goodness/colour made the baby pink colour icing, who could resist?

For cupcakes

• 1/3 cup strawberry puree
• 190g sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
• 90g vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 190g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

For icing

• 3 tbsp strawberry season
• 90g vegetable shortening
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 160g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds only

For the Method and alternative recipe (using beautiful butter) see here

My Daughter will use anything she can get her little hands on to draw/paint mashAllah