Almond Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
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
- 170 g unsalted butter - room temperature
- 165 g granulated sugar - ¾ cup + 1 tbsp
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 5 ml almond extract - optional
- 125 g plain flour (all-purpose) - all-purpose, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 70 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 45 ml whole milk
Roasted strawberry buttercream
- 200 g whole ripe strawberries - hulled and sliced
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter - room temperature
- 320 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) - sifted
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine salt
To assemble
- 40 g flaked almonds - toasted and finely chopped
Instructions
Almond cupcakes
- Preheat 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.
- 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. 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.
- 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 cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Leave the oven on at 180°C (350°F).
Roasted strawberry buttercream
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, salt, and beat until the butter and icing sugar have combined. It may look a bit lumpy at this point. Add in 30 grams (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, then the buttercream may look curdled. To fix this, add in 25g (¼ cup) of icing sugar at a time and mix until the buttercream comes together again.
To assemble
- 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.
- Then pipe each cupcake with a swirl of strawberry buttercream. Gently press the chopped almonds all around the sides of the buttercream; alternatively, sprinkle over the top. Let cupcakes sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Strawberries: The strawberries have to be ripe and juicy for maximum flavour once roasted. If they aren't juicy, then place the strawberries into a bowl and toss them with the sugar. Set them aside to macerate for 20 minutes at room temperature to draw out their juices. Then place them and the juices onto a baking tray and continue to roast as per the instructions.
Toasted Almonds: To toast the almonds, place almonds in a frying pan set over medium heat on your stovetop. Toast until they smell nutty and turn a light golden brown. Make sure to toss them whilst toasting them to sure even coverage.
To Store: Place cupcakes in an airtight container and store for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Allow cupcakes to come to room temperature before eating.
Nutrition
Calories: 447kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 5gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 2gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 661IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
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