Strawberry cupcakes

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 120 g and 40 g strawberry puree in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about twelve minutes, until it thickens and reduces by about half. Reducing the strawberries concentrates their flavor without thinning the batter. It's ready when a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail; let it cool completely, then use three quarters for the cupcakes and one quarter for the buttercream.

   Suggested time: about 12 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Preheat the oven to 175°C and set paper liners in a cupcake pan while the oven heats. A fully hot oven from the start helps the cupcakes rise quickly into nicely rounded domes. You can put the cupcakes in once the oven's heat indicator light has gone off and the temperature is steady.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Beat 115 g softened unsalted butter with 200 g granulated sugar and a pinch salt on medium speed for about four minutes. This step beats air into the butter, which makes the crumb lighter and fluffier. The mixture is ready when it turns ivory, is clearly fluffy and no longer feels gritty with sugar.

   Suggested time: about 4 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Add 100 g eggs to the butter one at a time along with 5 g vanilla extract, beating thoroughly after each addition. Adding the eggs slowly keeps the butter from separating and keeps it smooth. Move on to the next step when the mixture is glossy and silky and clings lightly to the beaters.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Mix 190 g all-purpose flour with 6 g baking powder and sift it into the butter in three additions, alternating with 60 g whole milk and the cooled reduced strawberry puree. Adding them in small portions helps the flour absorb the liquid evenly without long mixing that makes the cupcakes tough. The batter is ready when the streaks of dry flour have just disappeared, it's evenly pink and as thick as sour cream.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each about two thirds full, then tap the pan gently on the counter twice. Leaving room at the top lets the cupcakes rise into round domes without spilling over the liners. They're ready when the liners hold about the same amount of batter and the tops are level.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Set the pan on the middle rack and bake at 175°C for about 18 to 22 minutes. A moderate temperature bakes the cupcakes evenly from the outside in without the tops darkening too soon. They're done when the tops spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

   Bake at 175°C for about 18 to 22 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for about five minutes, then move them to a wire rack and let them cool completely for about forty minutes. Buttercream will slump if you pipe it onto warm cupcakes. They're ready when the bottoms of the liners no longer feel warm.

   Suggested time: about 40 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Beat 170 g softened unsalted butter until light, sift in 300 g powdered sugar a little at a time, and finally add the remaining reduced strawberry puree. Beating for about three more minutes on high speed makes the buttercream fluffy and easy to pipe. The buttercream is ready when it's pastel pink, smooth and holds its shape when you lift the beaters.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe a swirl from the edge of each cupcake toward the center, then top with 120 g fresh strawberries that have been rinsed and patted completely dry. Dry strawberries won't make the buttercream weep. The cupcakes are finished when the buttercream stands tall, the ridges are sharp and the strawberry sits steady on top.

    Mark step 10 as done