The Shire Bakery: Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes!!

These cakes are amazing. There are no more words. Like strawberry milkshake? Then you will love these.

Ingredients (makes 10)

35g softened unsalted butter

100g plain flour

125g caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch salt

100 ml milk

1 large egg

20g strawberry milkshake powder (Nesquick is perfect)

For the icing

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter, softened

50g strawberry milkshake powder

2 tablespoons of milk

Pink food colouring

I have a confession to make before we go into this. I didn't use this recipe for the icing. I tried the Sugar & Crumbs Strawberry Milkshake icing sugar, 100g mixed with 150g icing sugar and 80g butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. You can buy it on my website www.theshirebakery.com, along with the baking cups I used. It is a great icing sugar, but you can also make the buttercream using the Nesquick and icing sugar method.

First thing is first, turn on your oven, 170 degrees, 150 fan or Gas Mark 4. Line your muffin tin with cases, or in my case, line a baking tray with baking cups.

I love these cups, no peeling, great for a wet recipe like this one!

In a bowl, mix together the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until it forms a sandy consistency.

Now in a jug, mix your milk, egg and milkshake powder together.

Doesn't look to appetising, eh?

Now slowly pour the liquid into the dry mix, half at a time, until it is all combined.

I'm not a fan of the colour of the mix, it reminds me of flesh! So I pop a little pink food colour in the mix, and it cheers me up!!

You obviously do not need to do this, but I love the pink sponge when it is cooked.

Now pour the batter into the baking cases until approx 2/3rds full, and pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes, and when cooked, leave to cool on a wire rack.

Before the oven...

Fresh from the oven!

Now, while these are cooling you can make your buttercream.

Simply mix your icing sugar and butter, your can do this by hand, or use a freestanding or hand electric whisk. Mix your milk and milkshake powder together, and add to the mix, whisk for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

I put just under half the buttercream in a separate bowl, and I coloured this a darker shade of pink, and put a little less food colouring in the other bowl. I then put the different butter creams on either side of the piping bag, so they mixed when piped.

I did a candy floss pink and a baby pink.