Cupcakes

• Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140°C (275°F) or a conventional oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two cupcake tins with the cupcake liners.
• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
• Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.
• Add the eggs, milk, oil, yoghurt, pureed strawberries, strawberry flavouring (optional) and vanilla, and mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for a final 20 seconds.
• Split the batter into two and colour one with 1 drop pink food gel and mix until well combined. Add 4 drops pink food gel to the other bowl and repeat.
• Add the different batters into two separate piping bags and pipe a small layer of the dark pink batter into your cupcake liners, then pipe another layer of the light pink. Repeat, alternating between the two pinks until you’ve filled each cupcake liner ¾ of the way
• Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
• To prepare the frosting add the strawberry flavoring into all of the frosting and mix until well combined. Split the frosting into two bowls and add pink food gel to one bowl. Mix until well combined.
• Add each coloured frosting into a separate piping bag, each fitted with a Wilton #32 piping tip.
• Core the centre of each cupcake and fill with chocolate sauce. Pipe a ring of pink frosting on each cupcake followed by a slightly smaller ring of white frosting. Repeat once more. Add sprinkles to the frosting by starting at the bottom and then add less as you go up. To finish your cupcakes add a maraschino cherry on top.