Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes made from scratch! Moist and tender vanilla cupcakes filled with fresh strawberries and topped with strawberry buttercream. No artificial colors or flavors – pure, fresh strawberries in every bite. VIDEO below.
You know that summer is here (or almost here) when most of my recipes have berries in them. Five of my last six recipes featured berries (sorry/not sorry?). I love baking with fresh berries this time of year!
This recipe is actually from a few years ago, but I decided to make a video and reshare the recipe because it’s too good to be stuck way back in the archives. Plus, these pretty pink cupcakes basically scream “It’s summer, eat ME!”
Strawberry Cupcakes
These cupcakes are worlds away from a typical boxed strawberry cake mix. I love that the pretty shade of pink comes from fresh strawberries, not food coloring. They are moist and tender and filled with real ingredients. The cake itself is flavored with vanilla extract and small pieces of fresh strawberries. The cupcakes are fluffy and buttery, and you can’t beat those diced strawberries running all throughout.
Tip: Use the best strawberries you can find. The more red and sweet and they are, the better! If your strawberries are slightly under ripe, or not very sweet, you might want to hull them, to make sure those flavorless white pieces don’t make their way into the cake or frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Let’s talk frosting! These Strawberry Cupcakes are topped with the prettiest Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. The frosting is made with pureed strawberries and strawberry jam.
The color of your frosting is going to vary depending on the how dark your strawberries are. I’ve made these nearly a dozen times, and the frosting can range from a lighter pink to a darker pink. It’s beautiful and delicious no matter what shade it is! And it’s the absolute perfect compliment to our strawberry cupcakes.
I take a lot of pride from the fact that these cupcakes are made from scratch and with real strawberries! Most cake mixes and frostings are loaded with fake strawberry flavoring and food coloring. There is no need for that fake stuff, when you have beautiful sweet strawberries to be the star of the recipe.
And it’s not just me that loves these Strawberry Cupcakes. My readers love them, my friends and family love them – this really is one of the best cupcake recipes ever.
This recipe will always hold a special place in my heart. I first made these cupcakes three years ago when we welcomed our daughter into the world. We celebrated the arrival of our sweet Juliette with these pretty pink Strawberry Cupcakes, and I’ve made them every summer since. These cupcakes made an appearance at her first and second birthday parties, and soon they’ll be part of her third birthday celebration. They make a great celebration cupcake, as well as a great everyday cupcake (that means you need no reason at all to make them).
Fresh strawberry flavor, swirly pink frosting. These have it all! Enjoy!
- MORE BERRY DESSERTS:
- Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Mixed Berry Cake
- Berries and Cream Trifle
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy, plus more if needed
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries, optional, see note
- 3 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree, see note
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon strawberry jam
- Fresh strawberries, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the cupcakes;
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scraping the bowl as needed. Gradually add the sugar and beat until well combined. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg, egg whites, and vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the milk, mixing until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the chopped strawberries.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Frosting:
- If using freeze dried strawberries: In a small food processor, blend about 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries until they turn into powder. Pour the powder into a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids and seeds, keeping the fine powder that came through the sieve. Measure out two tablespoons of the powder to use in the frosting. Proceed below.
- With a hand mixer, or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beater as necessary. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, beating until combined.
- Add strawberry puree, freeze dried strawberry powder (if using), vanilla extract and jam, and beat on medium speed until fully combined, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater as needed. If necessary, adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar or more strawberry puree, to thicken or thin it out. Place in a piping bag, or use an offset spatula to frost cupcakes (this makes enough frosting to generously frost the cupcakes). Garnish with sliced strawberries, if desired.
Ashley Wong says
Hi
I don’t have a stand mixer. so is it ok to use an electric hand mixer instead?
Celebrating Sweets says
Yes, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Danie. Nee says
Hi! Have you made these with buttermilk?
Celebrating Sweets says
I haven’t. But if you want to swap the milk for buttermilk that should be fine. Enjoy!
Kathy says
New baker here. Can this be made into a 2 layer cake? Thank you. 😊
Celebrating Sweets says
Most likely, but I think you would need to double it. You might have a bit more batter than you need, so you can use it to make cupcakes.
C says
Hi! Just wondering if I could use cake flour instead? Will that make any difference?
Allison says
That should work. You will want to use 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of cake flour for every cup of all purpose flour. Enjoy!
Kim says
Wish the recipe made more, but delicious! I used the leftover buttercream and piped into hollowed our strawberries. Froze them and displayed alongside the cupcakes!
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Michelle Wong says
Have you ever tried this with frozen strawberries? We got a whole bucket from a local farm but i had to freeze some of them before they got too ripe!
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Michelle. I have not tried this recipe with frozen strawberries. You likely won’t have trouble with the frosting, but the strawberries might have a bit too much moisture for the cupcakes. I would recommend thawing them and patting them dry before folding them into the cake batter. Enjoy! -Allison
Christy says
I hope one day … all your recipes will have an option with metric (grams) as well. Love love your strawberry cupcakes video.
Allison says
I am in the process of working on that! Thanks for reading. Happy baking!
Kerrie O'Brian says
Hi , am not a cook, or a baker, just a Nanny!
My bubby girl has asked me for some Strawberry cupcakes, so I am going to give it a crack!
Yeah.
My question is, they are in Melbourne, Vic. I am on the Central Coast, NSW.
Our snail mail is very slow at present.
How can I send these too her in the post?
How long will they keep?
Shoul I put then in a airtight bag into a hard box?
Cheers,
Kerrie AKA Nanny
Allison says
Hi, Kerrie. This is not a recipe that will keep well enough to be mailed. These cupcakes really should be stored in the refrigerator until prior to serving. I’d recommend something without fruit – maybe cookies or bars for mailing. See here for some ideas: Cookies, Brownies and Bars.
Kerrie O'Brian says
Thank you your reply, I have just made some, for our us, will try your other recipes.
Kerrie
Olivia Prothro says
Is it good without the frosting?
Allison says
Sure, you can try that. I definitely think it is better with the frosting though.
Faithful says
Hi, is it possible to use strawberry extract instead of fresh strawberries? If yes what quantity of extract should I use
Allison says
I’ve never used strawberry extract, so I can’t say. Good luck playing around with it.
Pat says
Hello, can i use whip cream instead of butter for frosting? Thank you so much
Allison says
You can’t swap the butter for whipped cream, but if you want to skip the frosting and top the cupcakes with only whipped cream that would be fine. Just be aware that whipped cream will lose its volume over time.