Strawberry “King Tuts”
Two dozen cupcakes
For the cakes:
2 dozen Pecan Sandies (or your favorite cookie – Gingersnaps, Oreos, etc.)
2 dozen ripe strawberries, smaller berries preferred
3 ripe bananas, roasted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or cinnamon)
4 ounces unsalted butter (one stick), room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla paste
For the buttercream:
3 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
12 ounces unsalted butter (three sticks), room temperature
¼ cup lavender honey
1) Place the bananas on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and roast in a 400-degree oven for fifteen minutes. Cool on a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2) Line your cupcake pans with paper liners and then place a cookie in the bottom of each liner.
3) Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Grate in the nutmeg and whisk to combine.
4) Separate the eggs – the yolks into a small bowl and the whites into the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat the whites with the whisk attachment until soft peaks and then use a spatula to gently remove them to another large bowl.
5) Return the bowl to the standing mixer and cream together the four ounces of butter and the sugar. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and then the peeled roasted bananas. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Alternate adding the following: 1/3 of the dry mix, half the sour cream, 1/3 of the dry mix, remaining sour cream and finally the remaining dry mix.
6) Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and gently fold in the egg whites with a spatula until the batter is just combined.
7) Remove the tops of the strawberries and place each on to of a cookie, point side up. Fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe around the strawberry until the batter reaches the top of the paper liner and just the tip of the berry is still showing. Bake the cupcakes until firm and just starting to brown – about twenty minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pans on a wire rack.
8) While the cupcakes cool, make the buttercream. In a standing mixer, beat all three of the ingredients until smooth. Place the buttercream in piping bag and create a swirl on top of the cooled cupcakes (or just spread on with a knife).
