Faking it.

For those unfamiliar with Plato's cave allegory, it (briefly) goes like this: a group of prisoners have always lived chained in a cave. They spend everyday watching moving shadows cast by various characters that cross a ridge at the cave mouth, backlit by a fire. These shadows are the extent of their reality. One day, a prisoner breaks free and leaves the cave, dazzled by the sunlit world of real objects that greets him. Dazed, he returns to the cave, to a group that refuse to believe his account of the outside world, convinced that the shadows are all that truly exists.
I wonder what the opinion of the freed prisoner is: does he prefer the outside world, or the shadow images that mimic it.

Perhaps, sometimes, what isn't real is actually preferable. So for this bake: strawberry and white chocolate cupcakes, I'm faking it.



Mix up the usual sponge recipie and divide into 12-ish bun cases. Pop on a tray and put into an oven on gas 4/ 180C.
Five minutes into the baking, take the buns out, and drop in some white chocolate chips. They should sink easily into a mixture that has began to bubble. You may need to give them a helpful prod, but the mixture shouldn't be too hot to touch. You'll find the chips mid-bun, but unmelted, when eating.

For the decoration, you can layer on more white chocolate chips above or below the icing. Then whip up some standard buttercream, with a dash of vanilla essence. Place a jelly strawberry (Haribo, pic n' mix, whatever) on top of each. Why jelly strawberries? They'll keep longer, and outside of the fridge.

 

If you want the 'real' version, top with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, but these won't stay fresh much longer than a couple of days, but to you, might be the superior cupcake.



So there's the question in baking format: real or imitation? Both, for sure, have their advantages.