Food icon Heinz has teamed up with the award-winning Hummingbird Bakery to celebrate its 150 year anniversary with a range of five cupcakes with a difference.

The Hummingbird Bakery’s bakers took the popular flavour pairing of strawberries and balsamic vinegar and used this as the basis for this incredible Heinz Salad Cream Cupcake. The salad cream flavoured sponge is filled and smothered with a salad cream flavour frosting, which in turn has crushed meringue and chopped summer strawberries muddled through in tribute to an Eton Mess. The sharpness of the tangy Heinz Salad Cream cuts through the sweetness of the crisp, chewy meringue and complements the juicy freshness of the strawberries beautifully.

Makes 20 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
115 g   Unsalted butter, at room temperature
300 g   Caster sugar
2          Large free-range eggs
300 g   Plain flour
1 tsp    Salt
2 tsp    Baking powder
200 g   Heinz Salad Cream
100 g   Whole milk

Frosting:
1 kg     Mascarpone, cold
700 g   Icing sugar
2 tbsp  Heinz Salad Cream
160 g   Strawberries, chopped
30 g     Meringue, crumbled

Decorations:
100 g   Strawberries, chopped
100 g   Meringue, crumbled

Equipment:

Two 12-hole cupcake trays, lined with 24 standard muffin-sized paper cases

Electric hand-mixer or electric stand mixer

Ice cream scoop or food portioner

Scale

Apple corer

Piping bag

METHOD

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 185°C (165°C fan)/Gas 4.
2. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk), beat the unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Crack the eggs in a jug. Slowly add the eggs and beat on a medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed.
4. Add the plain flour, salt and baking powder to the egg mixture and mix.
5. Combine the Heinz Salad Cream and milk together in a jug, then add to your mixture and stir through. Scrape down the mixture from the sides of the bowl and then mix again on a medium speed for 1 minute.
6. Line your cupcake trays with cupcake cases and use an ice cream scoop or food portioner to scoop your mix into the cases until two-thirds full.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 24 – 26 mins, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool in their trays for about 15 minutes before turning onto a wire cooling rack.
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Frosting:

1. You can use a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric whisk to make the frosting. Add the mascarpone to the icing sugar in a mixing bowl then whisk together for 2 minutes. The mix may seem runny, but don’t worry, just keep whisking. You will need to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to incorporate all the ingredients and then mix again for another 1 minute.
2. Once the frosting has started to thicken add the Heinz Salad Cream then mix through on a medium speed.
3. While this is mixing, cut your strawberries into small pieces and crumble up the meringue with your hands.
4. Once the frosting has come together and thickened, use a spoon to fold through the chopped strawberries and crumbled meringue.

Decoration:

1. Using an apple corer, cupcake corer or small paring knife, remove a piece of sponge from the middle of each cupcake to create a hole for the filling. Keep the discarded pieces of sponge and trim to use as a lid.
2. Spoon your frosting into a piping bag and then pipe some of the mixture into the center of each cupcake. Place the sponge lids on top of the filling and press down so that the filling is concealed.
3. Spoon out a generous scoop of frosting onto the top of your cupcakes and using your palette knife, decorate until covered.
4. Using the tip of a palette knife, create a swirly texture.
5. Decorate with chopped strawberries and crushed meringue pieces.

Enjoy!

Recipe by The Hummingbird Bakery, 2019

hummingbirdbakery.com