Another Recipe for Kari's Fresh Mystery Basket Challenge :), They are supposed to be 7 recipes, but hey, this happens to be one real busy week for me!!
I went grocery shopping yesterday and found baskets of fresh strawberries stacked in the fridge! Although strawberries are not in season at the moment, the baskets smelled of fresh strawberries! The aroma was mouthwatering! I could not resist but buy them. Funny how herbs always find me!! I love herbs, and it seems that every time I am at the supermarket, I end up buying a pot of fresh herbs. Again this time it was Rosemary. I like the combination of Rosemary with strawberries, and thought the two will make a refreshing cupcake. This cupcake is light, fresh and aromatic; therefore I did not want to top it with an overpowering frosting. Instead I decided to stay on the fresh light side and go for a simple rosemary whipped cream topping. The outcome was delightful. Believe me, it is the perfect afternoon snack!I like to cook with my children, and they love to help when I am cooking. This recipe is very child friendly, and is an excellent activity to do with your kids. All you need is a bowl, a wire whisker and the ingredients! I have made the cupcakes out of a one-bowl batter, to make it simple, and to have my daughter help. I have added a little pink food colouring to the batter, because she wanted to try adding colour to the batter, but you can omit the colour.
Here is what You Need
for the sponge275g self-raising flour
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
4 tbsp fresh strawberry juice
For the Rosemary Whipped Cream
2 cups fresh whipping cream
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely grated white chocolate
For Garnish
6 fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise
fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake holes with cups, set aside.
In a large bowl, place all sponge ingredients except strawberries and rosemary. Whisk till well blended and smooth. Add rosemary and strawberries, fold to incorporate.
Fill the cups 3/4 full with sponge batter. Bake for 25 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool completely on wire racks.
For Whipped Cream Topping
Place a metal bowl and the wire whisk of an electric mixer in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the chilled bowl, place the whipping cream, icing sugar, grated white chocolate and finely chopped rosemary. Whip on medium-high speed to soft peaks. Do not over whip or the cream will split.
Place ready whipping cream in a piping bag with a large star tip, and pipe a swirl over each cooled cupcake. Top each cupcake with a fanned half strawberry and a spring of fresh rosemary.
Serve cold. Store, covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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