Plum or berry-iced vanilla cupcakes

Name: Plum or berry-iced vanilla cupcakes
Yield: 6 large or 12 smaller cupcakes
Ingredients: 150 g Unsalted butter, softened; 150 g Caster sugar; 3 Eggs; 1 tsp Vanilla paste, or the seeds from ½ vanilla pod; 1 Lemon, zest and juice; 200 g High grade flour; 1 tsp Baking powder; ½ tsp Baking soda; ¼ tsp Salt; ⅓ cup Milk, warmed (you may need to use up to ½ a cup); 200 g Cream cheese (Main); 50 g Creme fraiche; 1 dash Plum compote, or use a berry compote (Main); 1 handful Pistachio nuts, crushed

Makes: 6 large or 12 smaller cupcakes

Tam West

Warren Elwin

Food writer

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Ingredients

150 g	Unsalted butter, softened
150 g	Caster sugar
3	Eggs
1 tsp	Vanilla paste, or the seeds from ½ vanilla pod
1	Lemon, zest and juice
200 g	High grade flour
1 tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Baking soda
¼ tsp	Salt
⅓ cup	Milk, warmed (you may need to use up to ½ a cup)

Cream cheese icing

200 g	Cream cheese (Main)
50 g	Creme fraiche
1 dash	Plum compote, or use a berry compote (Main)
1 handful	Pistachio nuts, crushed

Directions

Heat oven to 180C. Cream butter with caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating fully after each. Add vanilla bean paste and fold in lemon zest and juice.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter in stages, folding in gently as you go. Add ⅓ cup of warm milk, more if required, to create a batter with a nice drop consistency.
Line large or medium-sized muffin pans with appropriate sized cupcake liners. Spoon in mixture to ¾ fill the liners. Bake for 20 minutes or more (depending on size) until they have risen and a cake skewer comes out clean. Cool before icing.
To make icing, beat cream cheese with creme fraiche until smooth. Add enough plum or berry compote to taste and colour. Spread or pipe on to cupcakes. Drizzle with a little more compote and top with crushed pistachio nuts to serve.