Strawberry Kiss Cupcakes

One of my best friends is celebrating her 18th birthday this weekend; and of course, I wanted to make birthday cupcakes for her! Among her favourite ingredients are strawberries and cream, so I combined the two to create this decadent and girly cupcake.  Inside is a subtly sweet filling called Strawberries and Cream.  And these cupcakes are topped with her favourite vanilla buttercream and a pretty strawberry for decoration.  Happy Birthday Isabella!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees (fan-forced) and prepare enough muffin trays and liners for 15 cupcakes.  Lightly beat the eggs together in a bowl, then add to the butter and sugar.  Beat together, with electric mixers, the butter, sugar and eggs until combined and creamy.  Sift the flour and pour the milk and vanilla over the top of this mixture; beat until smooth and combined.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients for Strawberry and Cream Filling
8 strawberries, hulled and washed and diced finely
200mL thickened cream
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method
Whip the thickened cream until thicker and stiff.  Incorporate icing sugar until smooth.  Fold through diced strawberries. 

Method to Fill Cupcakes
Cut round circles rougly 5cm deep into the top of the cupcakes (hollow them out).  Fill in this hole with the Stawberry and Cream filling

Ingredients for Vanilla Buttercream
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp milk
1 drop pink food colouring
+ 12 strawberry halves, leaves intact

Method
Beat the butter until smooth.  Beat in icing sugar gradually until smooth.  Beat in milk and food colouring until buttercream is smooth and spreadable and colour is even.  Place buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a wide star nozzle.  Pipe onto cakes.  Place 1 half of a strawberry on top for decoration