Cupcakes are a wonderful dessert option for a variety of occasions. The individual treats are ideal for everything from a birthday party or baby shower to a summer barbecue. Of course, vanilla is a classic choice when baking cupcakes, but there are plenty of other flavors on the recipe menu, including strawberry cupcakes.
Instead of using strawberry jam or strawberry Jell-O, this recipe stars fresh strawberries. The berries are cooked down into a silky puree so there’s real strawberry flavor in every bite. Pair the cupcakes with a pale pink strawberry frosting or choose another homemade frosting. Either way, this treat is sure to impress!
Ingredients for Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberries: The key is to puree fresh strawberries and reduce the liquid to manage the amount of moisture in the cupcakes. You want to start with clean fruit—here’s how to wash strawberries.
- Butter: Choose unsalted butter for this recipe so you can control the amount of salt. The butter should be softened at room temperature so it can incorporate properly into the sugar.
- Sugar: Sugar helps aerate the butter and plays a role in the tender texture of these cupcakes.
- Eggs: You’ll need one whole egg plus an egg white for this strawberry cupcake recipe. This combination helps the cupcakes rise as they bake without too much yellow color from a second yolk, keeping the cupcakes pink.
- Vanilla: Just 1 teaspoon vanilla extract adds a delicate floral note.
- All-purpose flour: Feel free to sift the flour with the other dry ingredients to reduce lumping.
- Leavening agents: We use both baking powder and baking soda to really give these cupcakes a gorgeous rise and lift.
- Salt: All baking recipes need a pinch of salt to slightly offset the sweetness.
- Milk: While we call for 2% milk in this strawberry cupcake recipe, you can use whole milk or even buttermilk in its place if you prefer.
- Sour cream: Tangy sour cream adds flavor and moisture. You can use Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute if that’s all you have on hand.
- Red food coloring: A few drops of red food coloring will tint the batter a gorgeous pink hue.
- Frosting: You’ll need the strawberry puree, the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, and a bit of milk, vanilla extract and salt to make this buttercream frosting.
Directions
Step 1: Make the strawberry puree
Wash the 1-1/2 pounds strawberries for the cupcakes and the frosting, and hull the stems. Roughly chop the strawberries and puree them in a food processor.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the puree to a boil. Reduce the heat, and allow the puree to simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1-1/4 cups. Transfer the reduction to a bowl to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Step 2: Prep the cupcake pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and prepare a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar, and mix the other ingredients
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg, egg white and vanilla extract until well blended.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and sour cream.
Step 4: Mix the cupcake batter
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk mixture. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.
Add half the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Then mix in another 1/3 of the flour and the remaining milk. Finish with the rest of the flour mixture.
Editor’s Tip: Mix just until no flour streaks remain.
Step 5: Add the strawberries and food coloring
Use a rubber spatula to fold in 3/4 cup cooled strawberry puree. (Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup for the frosting.) If desired, squeeze in a few drops of red food coloring and stir until it’s evenly dispersed.
Step 6: Bake the cupcakes
Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake wells, filling each just above halfway full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Test more than one cupcake for doneness. Check the center cupcake as well as a few of the ones on the outer edges. Ovens can have hot spots that may overbake some cupcakes and underbake others, so it’s best to test out more than one.
Cool the cupcakes in their pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and place them on a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature before starting on the frosting.
Step 7: Make the strawberry frosting
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, three to five minutes. Beat in the milk, vanilla, salt and remaining 1/2 cup strawberry puree.
Gradually mix in the remaining confectioners’ sugar until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
Editor’s Tip: Turn up the speed on the mixer to whip the frosting until fluffy.
Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Editor’s Tip: Use a piping bag to pipe on the frosting, or use a mini offset spatula, butter knife or the back of a spoon to spread the frosting over the room-temperature cupcakes.
Strawberry Cupcake Variations
- Make ’em mini: For a miniature version of this strawberry cupcake recipe, use a mini cupcake pan instead of regular size. Bake the treats for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Use a different frosting: Whip up our strawberry cream cheese frosting for extra richness while keeping the strawberry flavor. Top the cupcakes with chocolate frosting for a chocolate-covered strawberry treat. Or, use homemade whipped cream for a lighter topping.
- Add a filling: Who doesn’t love a stuffed cupcake? Use a paring knife or melon baller to scoop out a small hole in the middle of each cupcake (only go about half or three-quarters of the way into each cupcake) and fill it with a good strawberry jam.
How to Store Strawberry Cupcakes
To store strawberry cupcakes, place them in an airtight container (tall enough not to smush the frosting) and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. If you’re taking them to a party, use one of these handy cupcake carriers.
Can you freeze strawberry cupcakes?
Yes, you can freeze cupcakes, whether they’re frosted or unfrosted. To freeze frosted strawberry cupcakes, place them in an airtight container that’s tall enough so the snapped-on lid won’t ruin the frosting. Place them in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, transfer the container to the fridge and let the cupcakes thaw overnight, or put them on the counter at room temp for about an hour.
To freeze unfrosted cupcakes, cool the baked cupcakes to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. Freeze them for up to three months, then thaw them overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about an hour.
Strawberry Cupcake Tips
How can you decorate these strawberry cupcakes?
You can decorate these strawberry cupcakes in so many fun ways, but the first, and easiest, option is to place a single strawberry on top of each finished cupcake.
Explore more ambitious cupcake decorating ideas that involve piping on a fun frosting design, from rosettes to two-tone cupcakes. Just make sure you know how to use a piping bag before getting started.
What’s the secret to baking moist cupcakes?
Drying out cakes and cupcakes is one of the most common mistakes, but there are a couple of secrets to baking moist cupcakes. First, make sure you’re measuring the flour correctly. Too much flour means the batter will be too thick and the cupcakes will be dry and crumbly.
The second secret is making sure your oven is at the right temperature. Some ovens run too hot. The best way to stay one step ahead is by placing an oven thermometer inside, setting the oven to the recipe’s temperature and checking the thermometer’s temperature once the oven has preheated.
Can you use frozen strawberries for these cupcakes?
Yes. These cupcakes rely on fresh strawberries as the star of the show, but they are pureed and reduced. You could easily make a swap and puree thawed frozen strawberries to make the reduction instead.
