Cupcaking- Strawberry and Champagne Cupcakes

How to create-

Candied Strawberries:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2  carton strawberries, Sliced 3-4 mm

Champagne Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup Champagne

Strawberry-Champagne Filling:

• 1/2 a cup of leftover syrup from candied strawberries
• 1/2 cup champagne
• 2 tablespoons cornflour, dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
• 1 carton strawberries, diced

Champagne Buttercream Frosting:

• 250g butter, room temperature
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup champagne

{what to do}

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Preheat oven to 150 c. Dip slices in cooled syrup; place on baking paper on a baking sheet. Reserve syrup. Bake until dry but still bright red, about an hour and a half. Immediately transfer chips to a wire rack to cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat in egg whites one at a time. Beat in flour mixture and champagne. Pour batter into tins and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Take the remaining syrup and add champagne. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is reduced by about half. Whisk in corn-starch and allow the mixture to thicken. Mash with fork and put through a strainer to get a beautiful lump free jam like filling. Allow to cool.
4. To make the champagne buttercream frosting, beat butter in bowl of stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, and champagne; beat until frosting is creamy.
5. Using a small paring knife, cut a small cone from the top of each cupcake. Fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, swirling decoratively. Finish them off with a couple of candied strawberry chips, and serve.