Presenting “Pink Forest Cupcakes” – eggless white chocolate cupcakes filled with strawberry compote and frosted with strawberry whipped cream. Playing on the flavours of white chocolate and strawberries – it’s such a classic combination!
I am sure you’d have heard of black forest cake (and even white forest cake). Its the combination of chocolate cake with cherries filling (traditionally soaked in Kirsch) and frosted with whipped cream with chocolate shavings and cherries for decor. There are many stories of its origin and why it’s named so (not after the German Black Forest mountain range, but after the cherry alcohol/Kirsch – you can read more about it here).
Moving on. I like cupcakes – they are like a bite sized treats (okay okay 4 bites). For Mother’s Day special menu this year, I wanted to play on flavours of white chocolate and strawberries – one of my mum’s favorite. I decided to make eggless white chocolate cupcakes, fill it with strawberry compote in the center, frost it with strawberry whipped cream and decorate with white chocolate shavings on top. I decided to call it “Pink Forest Cupcakes“!
The flavor of white chocolate in these cupcakes is subtle. I prefer it that way, as white chocolate can get overbearingly sweet. Just to accentuate the flavours and the idea of white chocolate, I add shavings on top as decor (missing in the pic above, added them later before packing them for delivery).
Strawberry compote is a great addition to the New York Style Cheesecake, and its a great addition here as well. I use frozen strawberries, so the compote can be made year round, but you can use fresh too. You basically cook the strawberries with little sugar, cornstarch and a touch of lemon juice. This compote will go in the center of the cupcakes AS WELL AS folded into the whipped cream. Talk about flavor bombs!
So here’s the recipe for my concoction which I’ve named Pink Forest Cupcakes – eggless white chocolate cupcakes with strawberries in filling and whipped cream frosting. The recipe makes 6 normal sized cupcakes but can easily be doubled.
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Pink Forest Cupcakes
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cupcakes
- 110 g All Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 50 g white chocolate – chopped
- 60 ml oil
- 60 ml water
- 20 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Compote
- 100 g strawberries – I've used frozen
- 1-2 tbsp caster sugar – to taste
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
- Few drops lemon juice
Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting & Decor
- 150 ml heavy whipping dairy cream – cold
- 2 tbsp icing sugar – skip if using non-dairy whip topping
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 3-4 tbsp strawberry compote puree
- some grated white chocolate for decor
Instructions
Strawberry Compote
- In a medium saucepan, add the frozen strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook at a low heat for few minutes – the strawberries will start to thaw and release their liquid, so don't add any additional water. (If using fresh berries, add a little water here). Try not to mush the strawberries too much, keep the chunks.
- In a bowl, add the cornstarch and water and mix till you get a smooth paste and no lumps. Add the mixture to the saucepan and mix until combined. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes till the mixture thickens to desired consistency.
- Switch off the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Cover it and let it cool completely.
- Puree about 4 tbsp of this compote if you plan to pipe the frosting by passing through a fine mesh sieve.
Eggless White Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 160°C. Prepare a 6-hole cupcake tray with liners.
- In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
- In a large bowl, add the chopped white chocolate and melt it over double boiler (or microwave). Add oil, water and vanilla and whisk till well combined and emulsified properly.
- Fold in the dry ingredients till there's no dry flour left. Evenly divide the batter into the cupcake tray – they should fill about ⅔ rd.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes till a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool it on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tray and cool them completely.
Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting
- Place your mixing bowl and wire whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Whip the cold cream until stiff peaks (about 3-5 minutes). If using dairy cream, then add icing sugar. Skip if using non-dairy whip topping.
- Add the strawberry puree and fold into the whipped cream gently. Transfer to a piping bag.
- Using an apple corer or a piping nozzle, scoop out some of the cupcake center. Spoon in some of the strawberry puree in the hollow you created.
- Frost the cupcakes with strawberry whipped cream. Add some grated white chocolate on top. You can also use some fresh strawberries dipped in white chocolate for decor.
The eggless white chocolate cupcakes recipe is adapted from Gayathricookspot blog.
