June 21 is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

In the northern hemisphere, especially far north in Scandinavia, long sunlit days seem to go on forever.

Summer means fresh, locally grown berries – cherries, lingonberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, also wild strawberries, bilberries, cloudberries.

Visiting Helsinki in June one summer, we spent the day outside the city at Seurasaari.

Seurasaari is an open air museum with heritage buildings – manor house, wooden church, farm houses, barns, rural grain store, stable. We wandered on paths through the green leafy woods, past ponds with ducks, and swans, by pebbly beaches on the water.

At the little restaurant we enjoyed a delicious dessert made with wild strawberries.

Celebrate the solstice with a batch of fresh strawberry cupcakes.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 to 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons milk

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped, to put on top of cupcake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups.

Place strawberries in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. You will need enough strawberries to yield 1/2 cup strawberry puree.

Mix strawberry puree with milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter for 1 minute. Add sugar, beating well. Beat in eggs.

Alternately, add half strawberry mixture, then half flour mixture, into the wet mixture, mixing until blended.
Use ice cream scoop to fill muffin tins. Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

Cool strawberry cupcakes 10 minutes in muffin tins, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

Frosting –
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.

Add vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk. If frosting is too thick, beat in another teaspoon or two of milk until icing reaches desired consistency.

Stir in chopped strawberries.

Frost the cooled strawberry cupcakes with icing, decorate with any leftover pieces.

 
Recipe from The Spruce Eats, thespruceats.com

Travel for Kids
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