Strawberry Eton Mess Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Measure all the ingredients and line them up so you could grab each one when their turn is up.

Start beating the butter. If you are using an electric whisk, beat it for a few minutes with the vanilla seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean till it becomes fluffy. Add the sugar and beat again for 2-4 minutes, till it’s again nice and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at the time beating, till it’s completely incorporated before adding the next.

Next mix the baking powder with the flour, then stir in the flour and milk into the batter until it’s consistent.

Line 12 the muffin/cupcake tins with cupcake liners and pour in the batter filling ¾ of each liner (if you line more you’ll end up with something of a cupcake tin pie).

Bake the cupcakes for 20-35 minutes.

To make the strawberry Eton mess, if using a vanilla bean, split it, scrape the seeds out and add to the cream together with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Start whipping the cream and when it starts to thicken, add the crushed meringues and continue to whip gently till you have stiff peaks. Be careful not to crush all the meringues to dust.

To decorate the cupcakes, let them cool completely before decorating. Using a spoon or a knife, spread some cream on top of the cupcake and finish with a few slices of strawberries. Enjoy!