Bake test: Hummingbird Bakery Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I love the idea of one type of food resembling another.

White chocolate mousse that tastes like basil (I've made it and it actually works), food that looks like breakfast but tastes like dessert, ice cream that tastes like sesame seeds (thanks Nobu). They surprise and delight.

That's why I couldn't wait to try Hummingbird Bakery's Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes, and continue to complete my 101 in 1001 challenge.

Hummingbird Bakery Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

The event was an impromptu morning tea at my oldest friend's house. GG and I have been friends since Year 3 or 4. I can't exactly remember how it happened but it was probably like, 'I like your glasses, let's play' (me). Or 'You're quiet and nice and I'm bossy and loud, let's play' (me again). Or we might have traded stories over salami sandwiches.

Regardless of how we became friends, I grew up with her family and counted them among my own. As life matches on we had different groups of friends in high school but we forever stayed friends. And I think it is because GG is just the nicest person in the world. Why else would someone stay friends with me through my horrible, horrible teen years?

She does make me think of strawberry shortcake. That's why this cupcake was perfect.

Following the recipe I once again fell short, but managed eight scrummy and same sized cupcakes. I think I'm working this measurement stuff out. Basically I've got it down to one and half tablespoons of mixture per wrapper. Neva time I'll try one tablespoon.

Instead of placing the strawberries at the base of the wrapper, where I thought it might seep through, I put a little bit of batter at the bottom of each case, then strawberries, then more batter. It meant there was a nice surprise in the middle and no soggy bottoms. That would be a travesty.

The cream cheese frosting, scattered with granita biscuit crumbs made the 'cheesecake' portion of this recipe. You can't go wrong with cream cheese frosting. Full stop.

The verdict? The cupcakes are fluffy and the icing makes it like a cheesecake. What I would like to try next time is purée the strawberries and marble it through the batter , then place half a strawberry on the top. Then it might just be a little bit more strawberry.

Even better if you blend strawberry purée and half a block of cream cheese, then marble it through the batter. Hmmm..... Now that's something I might try.