Probably the Best Two Moments of Cookie Jar Career to Date...

I thought I'd show you the result before I gave the recipe, just to show you how well this little baking adventure turned out. :) I've never been one for attempting to veil my vanity.

Sue me.

As anyone who bakes should know, it is probably one of the better human emotions that is suddenly awakened when what we bake/cook is met with huge amounts of praise and enthusiasm from the consumer.  

In my case, the consumer was my boyfriends sister, one of the people I am forever trying to impress with my culinary skills.

She approached me to make some cupcakes for a party she was going to. She had loved a batch of passionfruit cupcakes that I had made forever and a day ago and wanted these to be little replicas to impress her friends. In other words they had to be lick-my-lips-alicious.

Needless to say, I accepted. I was too keen to impress and though there was an insurmountable amount of pressure, I felt that this, this was my time to shine.  

We decided on vanilla cupcakes; simple and a classic. They were to be topped with a vanilla buttercream and a chocolate buttercream. Seriously, she couldn't of asked for a more simple batch. If I screwed it up then I could be classed as retarded.

The baking process went well, the cupcakes went in the oven and came out perfectly, evenly brown. They smelt just like the cookies from Subway actually.

My boyfriend ate all of the leftover mixture in the bowl as well, another good sign.

However, disaster was to strike. Due to Brisbane's ridiculously humid climate the buttercream we made would not hold its shape and proceeded to melt and ooze and pus all over the place. I felt the need to cry.

But I was too eager to fix this dilemma and thus the creative cooking demon within me was spawned and an idea of sheer genius dawned upon me. (I love how spawned and dawned rhyme...)

So with a quick few little niggles and adjustments, the result was BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES. :)

And here...is the recipe.

These went down an absolute treat at the party and I'm told everyone thought they were from Shingle Inn. Jackpot!

Strawberries and Cream Butterfly Cupcakes

ingredients...

for the cupcakes...

225 grams unsalted butter

225 grams caster sugar

225 grams self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence 

 for the filling...

as much thickened cream as you so desire

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

3 tablespoons of caster sugar

strawberries, cut into slices.

icing sugar for dusting

method...

 Preheat your oven to 175 degrees celsius.

Place 18 baking paper cases in muffin tins.

Combine all dry cupcake ingredients in a bowl, stir so everything is evenly distributed.

Cream the butter and the sugar together then gradually add in beaten eggs and vanilla one at a time.

When this wet mix is nice and creamy stir together both the wet and dry with a wooden spoon. Don't overmix.

Spoon the batter into your little case dudes.

Bake for 20 minutes or until they're lovely and golden brown. They'll smell fantastic.

Let them cool for five minutes when they're done, then remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool them further on a wire rack.

Now for the filling.

Prepare by putting all filling ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl.

Grab a whisk (or electric beater, I prefer man power though, yields better consistency.)

and whisk until the cream has been whipped into thickened submission.

When the cupcakes are cooled, cut a small oval little hole into the top of your cupcake. KEEP THE LITTLE THING YOU CUT OUT!!!!!

Spoon the cream into the little holes then cut the oval shaped thing you cut out of the cupcake in half. Place this in the cream to make it look like little butterfly wings. (See the picture if you don't understand...)

Do the same with your slices of strawberries, next to the cupcake wings and dust the bunch with icing sugar.

Perfect.