Maple and Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Maple and Vanilla Cupcakes

Soft maple and vanilla cupcakes topped with a light maple buttercream and finished with fresh strawberries.

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 225g Pure Maple Syrup, Dark Robust
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 eggs
• Pinch of salt

Maple Icing

• 140g unsalted butter, softened
• 280g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup, Dark Robust, plus extra if needed
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 12 strawberries

Method

1. Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases and preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Cream the softened butter in a mixer on a low speed until pale and creamy. Gradually add the maple syrup at room temperature, scraping down the sides occasionally, until fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl, weigh out the flour and add a pinch of salt.
4. Add the eggs one at a time to the maple butter mixture, mixing well after each addition and alternating with sieved flour.
5. Add the vanilla extract and gently fold through with a spatula, taking care not to overwork the mixture.
6. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling to about 1cm from the top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
8. While the cakes bake, prepare the buttercream by whipping the butter until smooth, then gradually add the icing sugar, sieving with each addition.
9. Add the maple syrup and milk a little at a time until the icing is smooth and pipeable.
10. Once baked, place the cupcakes on a wire rack. Leave for 5 minutes before removing from the tin, then allow to cool completely.
11. Pipe the icing using a star nozzle, starting from the outside and working inwards.
12. Slice each strawberry from the base upwards without cutting all the way through, gently fan out, and place one on top of each cupcake.