Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
This cake recipe has the perfect strawberry flavor. Light, fluffy cupcakes and the MOST amazing strawberry buttercream icing. I wanted these cupcakes to be all from scratch. No jello here, please.
My daughter requested strawberry cupcakes for her birthday this year. Of course, I’m going to do my level best to make it happen for her!
Recipe Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and salt – Gives the cupcake lift.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Softened.
- Eggs – Large size eggs.
- Milk and vanilla extract
- Strawberry puree and Chopped strawberries – To give the strawberry flavor.
For the Strawberry Buttercream
- Unsalted and salted butter – Using both add the salt needed for the frosting.
- Strawberry puree – Fresh strawberry puree gives the best strawberry flavor.
- Powdered sugar – For volume in the buttercream.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt – If needed.
Tips
- All ingredients should be at room temperature to ensure they incorporate thoroughly. This helps produce light, fluffy, and evenly baked cupcakes.
- Find the best quality strawberries you can find. Look for bright red, plump, and no bad spots.
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Puree the strawberries and finely chop another 1/4 cup of strawberries.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine strawberry puree, room temperature butter, and sugar.
Slowly add in eggs and vanilla. (Add food coloring if desired)
I didn’t add any food coloring but if you want them pinker you can certainly use some. The batter was pink enough for me.
In another bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add into sugar mixture.
Slowly add milk and stir gently. Stir in chopped strawberries.
Fill the cupcake liners with an equal amount of batter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
This can also make a 9×13 strawberry cake.
While the cupcakes cool, whip up the buttercream icing.
Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
Add 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp strawberry puree to a small saucepan. Heat mixture over medium-low heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced by about 2/3 to 3 Tbsp, about 10 – 14 minutes
Pour reduced puree into a small bowl, then refrigerate until cool.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip unsalted and salted butter until very pale and fluffy (nearly white). Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally throughout the entire mixing process.
Mix in 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), then blend in 3 Tbsp reduced strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and optional red food coloring.
Add remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and continue to mix until frosting is pale and fluffy, adding an additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.
Once the icing is done put it in a piping bag and decorate away. That’s the fun part, right?
The cupcakes are best stored in the refrigerator covered tightly, for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature. The buttercream after being chilled will get firm, so remove them from the fridge about 1 hour before serving.
Freeze the unfrosted cupcakes wrapped individually in a freezer-safe container or bag up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Frost as instructed.
More Delicious Recipes
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups granulated sugar
- ½ Cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1/2 Cup strawberry puree
- 1/4 Cup chopped strawberries
- 3-4 drops of red food coloring Optional
Buttercream Icing
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp strawberry puree
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter almost room temperature
- 1/4 cup salted butter almost room temperature
- 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine strawberry puree butter and sugar.
- Slowly add in eggs and vanilla (Add food coloring if desired)
- Whisk dry Ingredients together and add into sugar mixture.
- Slowly add milk and stir gently.
- Slowly stir in smashed strawberries.
- Pour batter into a cupcake pan or 9×13 cake pan and bake. A cake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or cupcakes for 20 minutes on 350 degrees.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
For the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Add 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp strawberry puree to a small saucepan.
- Heat mixture over medium-low heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced by about 2/3 to 3 Tbsp, about 10 – 14 minutes (measure and if it isn’t quite 3 Tbsp then return and continue to simmer if it’s not reduced to correct amount it will make frosting runny).
- Pour reduced puree into a small bowl, then refrigerate until cool
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip unsalted and salted butter until very pale and fluffy (nearly white. Stop and scrape down bowl occasionally throughout entire mixing process).
- Mix in 1 cup powdered sugar, then blend in 3 Tbsp reduced strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and optional red food coloring.
- Add remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and continue to mix until frosting is pale and fluffy, adding an additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.
May I be the first to say that I DID make these. They are amazing and I received stellar reviews from those I made them for. They were moist, light and spot on flavor in the cake and frosting alike. I did not alter or embellish this recipe in any way. They are absolutely perfect as they are. Definitely my strawberry cupcake and frosting from now on!! Thank you for your recipe.👩🍳
Oh, Terry! This makes us so happy! Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by and let us know how much you enjoyed the cupcakes!!!!