Very vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing and strawberry filling

We just got back from an overseas holiday and I haven't baked in nearly 5 weeks! Despite the jet lag, I really wanted to get back into the kitchen and bake something.

Cupcakes (Recipe from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup room unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg + 2 egg whites (keep seperate)
1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Icing and filling

Icing:
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2/3 cups unsalted butter 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
4 tbs milk

Strawberry filling:
1/3 cup vanilla icing
2 large strawberries, mashed
4 tsp strawberry jam

Method:

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees celsius. Grease and line a 12 capacity cupcake pan.

Beat the butter on medium for 3 minutes before adding the sugar. Beat for a further 3 minutes to combine. Add the egg then beat for 30 seconds. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating in between.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, add the milk, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and the sour cream in a bowl and mix together well.

Add the milk/vanilla.sour cream and flour mixture to the butter/sugar alternatively, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing in between. Make sure you start and end with the flour mix.

Make sure you don't over beat the mixture.

Divide the mixture evenly between cupcake liners and bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

They smelt lovely when they were baking!

To make the icing and filling

Icing:

Place butter in mixing bowl and beat for two minutes. Sift in icing sugar and beat to combine. Add vanilla bean paste. Add the milk, one tbs at a time, beating mixture in between until reach desired consistency.

Strawberry filling:
1/3 cup vanilla icing
2 large strawberries, mashed
4 tsp strawberry jam

Mix until smooth. 
Click here for instructions on how to fill cupcakes