Sweet almond cupcakes filled with roasted strawberry puree and topped with this strawberry buttercream make for a delicious sweet treat.
We are big strawberry fans in my household and I’ve been wanting to incorporate a strawberry buttercream with a cupcake for a while. In terms of flavour unisons, strawberries and almonds are a perfect match make these cupcakes a dreamy creation.
Sweet nutty almond flavour in a soft light sponge is filled with the surprise roasted strawberry puree that soaks ever so slightly into the almond sponge leaving you with a delectable cupcake. The puree is also added to a traditional American buttercream resulting in the prettiest shade of pink buttercream that tastes divine atop the almond cupcakes.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALMOND MEAL (GROUND ALMONDS) AND ALMOND FLOUR
Traditionally almond meal is made out of whole almonds. The skin of the almond has been left on and you can see the dark brown pieces in the meal (this is the almond skin). Almond meal, however can be made from unblanched alomnds too.
Almond flour is made out of blanched almonds where the skin has been removed and is much whiter in colour
For most recipes using either almond meal or almond flour will result in the same end product. There are a few recipes where it’ll make a difference, for example French Macarons require almond flour for its finer consistency allowing for a smoother shell to the macaron.
Depending on where you live in the world, you’ll find either almond meal or almond flour more accessible. Here in the UK Almond Meal is commonly found on the supermarket shelves. It has a much grainier consistency than almond flour and when added to a sponge batter you will notice the textural difference in your baked goods. But as almonds contain natural oils, they impart a beautiful moistness to your sponge. You have to try it.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
This recipe calls for the usual creaming method of beating the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy to incorporate air which results in fluffy and light cupcakes.
From here we add the eggs one at a time beating them into the butter. I add a half teaspoon of almond extract to bring out the almond flavour but this is totally optional. You can leave out the almond extract if you would prefer.
Next, half of the dry ingredients, flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt are added followed by the milk and then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just a few flour streaks remain.
Then we divide between the cupcake cases and bake until the cupcakes reach a lovely golden brown and are light and fluffy. Perfection.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM?
My buttercream I use in this recipe is a traditional American buttercream containing butter and powdered icing sugar as the two main ingredients. Vanilla extract is added to provide extra flavour and salt is added to cut against the sweetness of the buttercream.
To get that strawberry flavour into the buttercream, in this recipe, I like to use fresh strawberries rather than freeze dried strawberries. But if you’ve tried adding strawberries to buttercream, they can sometimes be way too watery and make for a sloppy buttercream. Worse still is that the strawberries are under ripe and actually have no flavour. Major disappointment right there. So there’s only one way to get around this problem and the solution is to ROAST your strawberries.
Why roast your strawberries?
When the strawberries heat in the oven they break down and the juices caramelise with the natural sugars in the strawberries and with the small amount of sugar that you’ve sprinkled on top prior to baking. The caramelisation of the sugars deepens the strawberry flavour resulting in a flavour bomb!
Roast the strawberries and store them in a jar to serve with your porridge, onto of crêpes, inside babka, alongside a scoop of ice-cream…so many options.
In our Almond Strawberry Cupcakes though, once the strawberries and roasted and have softened whilst still retaining their shape, we purree them. Pulse just a couple of times to leave some lumps or blitz until totally smooth – there is no wrong way to puree them. I don’t mind the seeds in the strawberry puree but feel free to sieve them if you prefer.
A couple of tablespoons then gets added to the beaten buttercream and beaten in to create a light and fluffy cloud in the prettiest shade of pink. As with adding any liquid to buttercream, add it in gradually as if you add too much then you can make the buttercream too liquidy and it won’t hold its shape when piped.
For more strawberry goodness, checkout the Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake by Half Baked Harvest. It’s divine to look at but I have no doubt would also taste delicious.
Or head to my Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars for your fix raspberry and chocolate deliciousness! Recipe found here.
Note: this blog post and recipe have been edited and updated on 5th January 2021
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Almond Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes & Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American/British
Description
Sweet nutty almond cupcakes filled with roasted strawberry sauce and topped with a delicious roasted strawberry buttercream. These cupcakes deliver flavour in spades making them a perfect sweet treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
ALMOND CUPCAKES
160g unsalted butter, room temperature
160g granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
130g all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
80g ground almonds
45ml milk
ROASTED STRAWBERRY FROSTING
200g whole ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
15g granulated white sugar
115g unsalted butter, room temperature
320g icing sugar, sifted
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
TO ASSEMBLE
40g flaked almonds, toasted and finely chopped
Instructions
ALMOND CUPCAKES
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place 12 paper cupcake cases into a cupcake pan.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add your butter and sugar and beat on medium to high speed for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2. Add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the almond extract, if using, and beat again until combined.
In a separate bowl sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together. Add half of the dry ingredients into your stand mixer bowl and beat on low until combined. Add in the milk and beat again until mixed through. Lastly add in the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just combined and a few streaks of flour remain.
3. Spoon the batter into your cupcake cases filling each one to ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Leave the oven on at 180°C.
ROASTED STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM
1. To roast the strawberries, place them onto a half sheet baking tray. Sprinkle over the sugar and toss lightly. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the strawberries are softened and juices have thickened and gone sticky. Toss the strawberries halfway through the cooking time.
2. Remove from the oven and scrap strawberries and their juices into a blender or nutri bullet. Make sure to scrape in all the sticky bits too. Pulse until the strawberries are pureed.
Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minis to allow the puree to thicken slightly.
3. To make the buttercream, In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add your butter and beat on high speed for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add in the powdered icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat until the butter and icing sugar have combined. It may look a bit lumpy at this point. Add in 30grams (2 tablespoons) of the strawberry puree and beat the buttercream for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in 15 grams (1 tablespoon) at a time to the buttercream if it is too thick. If you add too much strawberry puree though, then the buttercream may look curdled. To fix this add in 25g of icing sugar at a time and mix until the buttercream comes together again.
TO ASSEMBLE
1. Transfer the buttercream into the piping bag fitted with your favourite piping tip. I used an open star tip for this recipe. Using a small sharp knife, core out the centre of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way through to the bottom. Fill the holes with a teaspoon of strawberry puree. (This step is optional). Any remaining strawberry puree can be stored in a sealed jar and refrigerated for up to five days.
2. Then pipe each cupcake with a swirl of the strawberry buttercream. Gently press the chopped almonds all around the sides of the buttercream, alternatively sprinkle over the top. Let cupcakes set at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
The strawberries have to be ripe and juicy for maximum flavour once roasted. If they aren’t juicy then place the straberries into a bowl and toss them with the sugar. Set them aside to mascerate for 20 minutes at room temperature to draw out their juices. Then place them and the juices onto a baking tray and continue to raost as per the instructions.
To toast the almonds, place almonds in a frying pan set over medium heat on your stove top. Toast until they smell nutty and are starting to turn a light golden brown. Make sure to toss them whilst toasting them to sure even coverage.
To Store your cupcakes : Place cupcakes in an airtight container and store for up to 2 days at room temperature or for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If refrigerating then allow to come to room temperature prior to eating.
Keywords: Cupcakes, Almond Cupcakes, Strawberry Buttercream
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