Strawberry and Vanilla Cupcakes

I was quite surprised when my son came back just one week after we sent him back to campus to continue his studies.  When I asked him his reason for coming back (I know I shouldn't have asked!) he said his time-table will be packed after that and that he will not be able to find time to come home.  What he didn't tell me was, he had actually came home to celebrate my birthday (this he told his mother!!!)  I was touched my his gesture.

  

That Sunday when he was supposed to go back to campus, I decided to bake some cupcakes for him.  I know he will never take cupcakes back to campus to share with his male friends (nor would I!!!) so, I made sure I baked some in time for him to eat them before he took the afternoon bus back.

The cupcakes were too small to see any marbling effect, but I marbled them nonetheless.  And for the topping, I made strawberry glace icing, using real strawberries!  The cupcakes were really soft!  I made some strawberry coulis to go with mine!  A triple strawberry delight!!!

• 4 oz self-raising flour
• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp strawberry emulco
• 3 oz fresh strawberries, mashed through a sieve 
• 9 oz icing sugar, sifted

Preheat oven at 170 C.  Beat the caster sugar and butter until creamy; then add the eggs, one at a time.  Fold in the flour and divide the batter into two bowls.  Add the vanilla to one and the strawberry emulco to the other.  Place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan and drop half teaspoons of each batter into each case, alternating the vanilla flavour and the strawberry flavoured ones (I managed two 1/2 tsp of each in every cupcake liner)  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Once cooked, cool completely.

Meanwhile prepare the glace icing.  Mix 1/2 tsp of the mashed strawberries into the icing sugar and beat until smooth.  Put 1/2 tsp of the glace icing onto each cooled cupcake.  Decorate with quartered strawberries and sugar flowers.

For the coulis, simply mix the remaining mashed strawberries with the glace icing and heat slightly.  Serve with the cupcakes, once cooled.

P.S. My kids devoured the cupcakes without the strawberry coulis.  So, I had the coulis with my oats for breakfast! :-)