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Best Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

Best Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

5 from 2 reviews

Tried and tested, this is the best strawberry cupcakes recipe! Banish mushy cupcakes and read on for the secret to perfect strawberry buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

For the vanilla cupcakes:

  • 16 ounces (1 package) fresh strawberries, halved with tops removed
  • 1 1/2 cup (150 grams) cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temp
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk

For the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1.3 ounces (2 cups) freeze dried strawberries
  • 1/2 cup egg whites (about 3 large eggs)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Special Equipment

Glazed Fresh Strawberries Ingredients

  • 1 pint (16 ounces) fresh strawberries
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Make the vanilla cupcakes:

  1. Start by roasting the strawberries. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Coarsely chop the strawberries and place them in an oven safe baking dish. Roast the strawberries for 30-40 minutes, until they are very soft and release their juices.
  2. Transfer strawberries to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
  3. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  4. Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in the butter on medium low. The mixture should resemble coarse sand. Beat in the sugar on low.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and milk. Mix until just combined.
  6. Use a paper towel to blot excess moisture from the roasted strawberries. Scrape them off the paper towel and stir into the cupcake batter.
  7. Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill cupcake liners with batter until they are 2/3 full.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Make the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

  1. Pulse freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until powdery. Sift through a fine mesh strainer to remove lumps and seeds. Set aside.
  2. Bring a medium pot filled with one inch of simmering water to a boil. Place the egg whites and sugar in a stainless-steel bowl (like a stand mixer bowl) and place on saucepan. Use a whisk to beat the mixture until very hot (about 160° Fahrenheit).
  3. Remove from heat and mix with the whisk attachment on high until it is cool, thick and glossy and has tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.
  4. Reduce speed to medium and add butter a few pieces at a time. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until smooth and fluffy.*
  5. Beat in the freeze dried strawberry powder.

Make the glazed strawberries:

  1. Slice 7-8 strawberries in half lengthwise (depending on the number of cupcakes you make). Remove stems from and coarsely chop the remaining strawberries in the pint.
  2. Dissolve cornstarch in water in a small bowl.
  3. Bring sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan and stir until dissolved. Stir in chopped berries only. Add cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
  4. Drain mixture into a small glass leaving chopped berries in the pan. Dip the halved strawberries into strawberry glaze mixture and use a pastry brush to coat thoroughly. Arrange on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.

Assemble the Strawberry Cupcakes

  1. Spoon strawberry buttercream frosting into a large piping bag fitted with an extra large closed star piping tip. Pipe a ring of frosting on the outside of each cupcake.
  2. Place a glazed strawberry in the center of each cupcake.

Notes

*Notes on Making & Troubleshooting Buttercream Frosting: If the frosting is too soft and doesn’t seem to be coming together, it’s possible that it’s too warm. You could try popping it into the fridge for 10-15 minutes and then re-mixing with the paddle attachment in your electric mixer until it comes together and is smooth and satiny. In general it’s hard to over-whip buttercream, so I would err on the side of mixing it longer to see if you can salvage it, even as long as 15 minutes!

Keywords: Strawberry Cupcakes, Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Frosting, Strawberry Dessert Recipe