Raspberry and Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes were a bit of an experiment and we don't mean to boast but they are just a little bit brilliant! Light vanilla sponge, filled with a seedless raspberry jam and topped with raspberry flavoured butter cream. They are simple to make and so we are sharing our recipe with you, you lucky, lucky people. Get baking them now and let us know what you think.



Ingredients 

6ozs/150g or unsalted butter
8ozs/200g of Self raising flour
1 1/2 level teaspoons of baking powder
6ozs/150g of caster sugar
3 medium eggs
cupcake cases
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract

for the butter cream:

6oz/150g softened unsalted butter
12oz/300g sieved icing sugar
handful of fresh raspberries

Good quality raspberry jam (seedless is better)
Raspberries, sugar and edible glitter to decorate

Method

1) Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4/180c/350f and line your cupcake tray with the cupcake cases.

2) Place the butter in a bowl and beat until light. Next add all of the other ingredients and beat for 2 mins until the ingredients are well incorporated.

3) Scoop the mixture into your cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 20 mins or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool.

4) Whilst the cakes are cooling mix your butter cream. Soften the butter and then add the icing sugar gradually and mix until you have a light fluffy consistency.

5) Blend the raspberries and strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Add this to your butter cream to create a natural pink colour.

6) When the cakes are cooled. Scoop out a small amount of cake from the centre and fill with raspberry jam. If you can't get seedless jam, place your jam in a sieve and stir to remove the seeds by straining it.

7) Next pipe your butter cream or smooth it on to the top of the cupcake. 

8) Add the finishing touches by mixing together a table spoon of granulated sugar with edible glitter, roll a raspberry in the sugar mixture and place on top of the cupcake. Add a mint leaf if you like to complete the decoration.

Place on a cake stand and watch these little beauties disappear before your eyes...make sure you save the biggest one for yourself. After all that hard work you deserve it!