Elly's strawberry basil cupcakes recipe

Elly's dainty cupcakes earned her a runner-up prize in our strawberry baking contest. These pretty cakes are scented with basil and finished with strawberry sugar frosting.

Ingredients

For the

cupcakes:

• 120g plain flour
• 50g butter, at room temperature
• 150g golden caster sugar
• 1 1/2tsp baking powder
• 120ml milk
• A large bunch of basil
• 1 egg

For the

frosting:

• 40g butter, at room temperature
• 130g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp milk

For the

strawberry sugar:

• 1 strawberry
• 6 tbsp granulated sugar

You'll also need:

• 6 muffin tray
• 6 muffin cases

Method

1. To make this cupcake recipe, preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F/gas 4. Line a muffin tray with 6 muffin cases.
2. Tear the basil roughly and put it in a small saucepan with the milk. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then turn off the heat and allow to infuse for an hour.
3. Using an electric whisk, beat together the butter, flour, sugar and baking powder until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Strain the basil from the milk and discard it, then gradually add the milk to the dry mixture. Finally, add the egg, beating until just incorporated.
4. Divide the mixture among the cases and bake for 25 mins until spongy and firm in the centre. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
5. For the frosting: Whisk together the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and milk using an electric beater. Beat for about 5 mins until the mixture is light and fluffy, then use a spatula or a piping bag to decorate the cakes.
6. For the strawberry sugar: Press the strawberry through a sieve using the back of a spoon, into a blender. Add the sugar and blitz until it is pink and fragrant. Scatter this over the cupcakes, and decorate them with sliced strawberries and a basil leaf or two.

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