Vanilla & White Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

This is one of my very favourite cupcake recipes - Vanilla and White Chocolate Cheesecake!  You can find this recipe, as well as recipes for many more yummy cupcakes  (including Peanut Butter & Raspbery Jelly  and Gooey Chocolate & Hazelnut !), in 'Cupcake Heaven' by the amazing Susannah Blake.  Available from Amazon for £8.00 including delivery. 

Although the recipe says that the cupcakes are best chilled so that the creamy topping sets but if (like me!) you really can’t wait, they’re amazingly good while still soft. So, here goes...

Gather together:
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
115g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

To decorate:
175g white chocolate, chopped
175g cream cheese
6 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
Fresh strawberries

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in, then stir in the vanilla extract and milk.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To decorate, check that none of the cupcakes have risen above the rim of the paper cases; if they have, carefully slice off the top using a serrated knife to create a flat surface.

 Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Leave until almost melted, then set aside to cool slightly. Beat the cream cheese, crème fraîche, vanilla extract, and sugar together in a separate bowl, then beat in the melted chocolate.

Smooth the cream cheese mixture over the cupcakes, up to the rim of the paper cases, then refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours until set. 

Decorate with fresh strawberries and tuck in!

'Cupcake Heaven' by the amazing Susannah Blake.  Available from Amazon for £8.00 including delivery