Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 18
A simple and tasty recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Home Sweet Home book – A strawberry milkshake flavour frosting swirled on top of a strawberry milkshake flavoured sponge cake.
As a child I used to love milkshakes. Every now and then I will have one as an adult and remember how good they are. So when I saw the recipe for a milkshake flavoured cupcake I had to see what it tasted like.
I made them last week for a birthday party and I had some great feedback. They are a simple cake to make and don’t take too much time either, so when I had a spare hour this afternoon I decided to whip up another batch for us to enjoy. (I also made some Ferrero Rocher brownies but I’ll tell you about them next week!)
They use the nesquik milkshake powder and the taste is so realistic….probably because there really is strawberry milkshake in the mixture for the cake and the frosting. One bite and you are thrown back to childhood memories of sipping your sweet, cold, frothy drink through a straw.
- 70g unsalted butter – softened
- 210g plain flour – sifted
- 250g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 210ml milk – full fat
- 2 large eggs
- 40g strawberry milkshake powder
Method:
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3 / 170°C and line the muffin tins with paper muffin cases
- In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb like consistency
- In a jug, mix together the milk, eggs and strawberry milkshake powder
- With the mixer on a slow speed, gradually pour half of the liquid into the crumb mixture and mix thoroughly until combined
- Raise the speed of the mixer to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and thick
- Once all the lumps are gone, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and combined
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake cases filling them two-thirds full (I use an ice cream scoop to make it easier and more even)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes
- Leave to cool slightly before removing them from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool before icing
- 500g icing sugar – sifted
- 160g unsalted butter – softened
- 50ml milk
- 100g strawberry milkshake powder
- Pink food colouring (2 tones if you want the two tone effect)
Method:
- In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment gradually mix together the icing sugar and butter on a low speed until combined and there are no large lumps of butter
- In a jug, mix together the milk and strawberry milkshake powder
- Gradually pour the liquid into the frosting while mixing on a slow speed
- Add a dash of pink food colouring
- Turn the mixer up to a high speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy
To get the two tone effect I brushed one of the pink tones around the inside of the piping bag before piping the frosting onto the cakes.
You can add a straw to make it great for children…
Or add a cupcake wrapper to add sophistication – perfect for adults! (unfortunately this one is no longer stocked, but similar products can be found here)
Add a bit of edible sparkle and you get great looking cupcakes in an instant!!
Tried this recipe?…let me know what you think! x
Made these yesterday and everyone liked them. Had a large tub of strawberry milkshake my son had gone off so it was perfect! Shall make them again.
I agree…everyone I have made them for loves them! And they are nice and simple to make! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I made these yesterday and the cake batter was very wet , when baked I couldn’t get them out of the paper cases ant ideas ?
Yes – this is a really wet recipe. When did you try to take them out of the cases? I find they can be difficult to get out if you try and eat them too soon after making.
They were really very cool/ cold when I tried ? I could tell I would have trouble so I tried to take one out before I frosted them.
that’s such a shame as they are a lovely cupcake. could it be the cases? some cheaper cases can stick more than others? otherwise I have no idea why they have stuck. I have just made a batch of 80 so I’m hoping they will be as good as the lat 2 batches I’ve made!
Thanks Rachel I’m gonna try again tomorrow I will let you know ow I get on xx
RE: Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes
Just made these for a test run before making for my grandson’s first birthday party next week. They have come out very sticky & dense, not light & fluffy as I would have expected. Like previous poster, Pam, I had trouble getting them out of the cases. I baked them at 160 in a fan oven – is this perhaps where I have gone wrong?
Any suggestions please? Also found them very sweet, if I cut down on the amount of sugar should I replace this with more flour or perhaps cornflour?
I’m not really sure what has happened! I have made so many of these and they are always light and fluffy. Overmixing can cause cakes to become heavy so maybe it was this?
I bake mine in a fan oven at 170C so you could try to increase the temperature slightly? I have only had trouble getting the cakes out of the cases when I tried to remove them before they were cooled.
Sugar plays a role in giving baked goods a nice texture and keeping them moist. Reducing it can sometimes mean dry and tough baked goods. So if you find these cakes too sweet and wet, reducing the amount of sugar could be the solution for you as it will reduce the sweetness and the moisture. I would say you don’t need to replace it with anything as long as you don’t take out too much.
I really hope you try these again as I have made over 100 of them and everyone that tried them loved them. They are one of my most popular recipes!
I bake quite alot & am always looking for different cakes to make. Did this recipe last night & sorry but not impressed at all. I don’t consider it a cake more a pancake batter. The frosting was awful very thin, & I did follow the recipe to the letter.
Oh that’s such a shame! I have made these many times and they have always been a hit with everyone especially the children. I also know friends that have followed this recipe so I am really sorry that it didn’t work for you.
Hi,
I’ve just made these with my daughter and they have rose up almost like Yorkshire puddings and then completely sunk. I’m not a great baker but me and my daughter are getting into it together to have more mommy/daughter time. Can anyone tell me what I have done wrong for next time please?
Thanks
Jamie
I had the same problems as other bakers. Stuck in the cases, VERY wet batter… there’s no way I could use a spoon! I had to pour with a jug.
They came out very dense, not light and fluffy.
I know the American way of making cupcakes uses a different method different to the UK & I love the idea of the strawberry milkshake, so i’m going to adapt my old favourite recipe and try that … fingers crossed!
I found the recipe batter to be very wet, but just added a little more flour. Tasted great 🙂 x
Glad you enjoyed them!
Could these be veganised? I’m a novice with baking but saw that nesquik strawberry milkshake powder is vegan and these look amazing! Do you have any quantity recommendations? X
This didn’t work for me either , even though I had read the comments and reduced the milk to 80ml for a dropping consistency . They rose then sunk.
I made another batch using my usual recipe ( 4 eggs and SRFlour) and put a couple of Tbsp of nesquivk in with the eggs. I made a Nesquick syrup to flavour them after baking . Worked out fine
I tried this cake twice and both times it rose and then sunk. It tastes lovely but looks awful. Cooked it at 170 for 25 minutes