Fairies, butterflies and strawberries…my kitchen inspiration when I first made these fanciful cupcakes on a chilly midwinter’s afternoon! Outside on the bitter cold streets people hurriedly walked bundled up in thick coats. Inside my cozy home I warmed myself by transporting my mind to summer and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In this whimsical Shakespearean play, fairies and humans frolic in the woods reveling in romance. My young twin daughters were gleeful when they saw my Titania and Oberon inspired cupcakes. They decided to don their dress-up pixie wings when they sat down to sample a bit of fairyland. These treats have become an oft-requested favorite in my home, and I thought perhaps you might like to nibble on fey inspired baked goods as well.
Decoration
5 edible butterflies per cupcake
Sliver edible beads
Sliced strawberries
Vanilla Cupcakes
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Next, in a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour the batter into lined cupcake pans.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and decorate.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Puréed strawberries (buy a 16oz container of fresh berries)
First, with an electric mixer, beat the vanilla extract and butter in a medium bowl. Then slowly mix in the powdered sugar, and beat. Next pour in the milk. Now, purée two strawberries at a time and mix them in, testing as you go for desired color and to make sure the frosting doesn’t get too runny. Keep adding two puréed berries until you are happy with the look and feel of the frosting. Lastly, using the electric mixer, beat the mixture until it is smooth and fluffy.
Embellish the top of each cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting, edible butterflies and edible beads. After plating the individual cupcakes, arrange sliced strawberries around the bases.
Makes 14 cupcakes
(Have fun eating the edible butterflies and let the edible beads melt in your mouth!)
