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Closeup of vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and fresh strawberries.
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Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes with a juicy strawberry filling, whipped cream frosting, and strawberry topping. All the flavors of Strawberry Shortcake in cupcake form!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Chill time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 48 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 406kcal

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour*
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • cup sour cream
  • ¾ cup milk preferably whole or 2%, room temperature

Strawberry filling:

  • 1 ½ cups finely diced strawberries for filling
  • 1 ½ tablespoons strawberry jam for filling

Frosting:

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened slightly, still cool SEE NOTES
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups chilled heavy cream SEE NOTES

Strawberry topping:

  • 1 cup finely diced strawberries for topping
  • 1 tablespoon strawberry jam for topping

Instructions

Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups with liners and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (preferred) or a hand mixer, beat sugar, oil, eggs, egg whites, and extracts until combined. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. While still beating, slowly add milk. Once it's combined, add the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Be careful not to overmix it.
  • Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop), filling each between ⅔ and ¾ full. Gently tap the pan on the countertop a couple times to remove any air bubbles.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If necessary, rotate the pans once during bake time to ensure even browning. Place the muffin tins on wire racks to cool for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove the cupcakes and place them directly on the rack to finish cooling.

Strawberry filling:

  • Combine 1½ cups diced strawberries with 1½ tablespoons strawberry jam.
  • Use a small paring knife to cut a circle out of the center of each cupcake. Insert the knife at an angle and cut about halfway down into the cupcake. Remove the cone shaped piece of cake from the center and trim off the point, leaving a flat "lid" that you can place back on the cupcake.
  • Scoop some of strawberry/jam mixture into each cupcake cavity (I used a heaping tablespoon), then place the cake "lid" over the strawberry filling. Don't shy away from spooning some of the syrupy juices into the cavity along with the strawberries. The cake will absorb it and it will add flavor.

Frosting (see notes):

  • Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. While the mixer is still whipping, slowly pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl periodically. Increase the speed to high and whip until the cream holds a stiff peak (this can take up to two whole minutes).

Toping and assembly:

  • Use a piping bag and pastry tip (I recommend an open star tip) to swirl some frosting onto the top of each cupcake. I like to make a couple of circles around the perimeter of the cupcake, leaving the middle open for adding more strawberries. Immediately transfer the frosting-topped cupcakes to the refrigerator for one to six hour. This helps firm up the frosting before you add the strawberry topping.
  • Right before serving**: Combine 1 cup diced strawberries and 1 tablespoon of jam for the topping and spoon it onto the top of each cupcake.

Notes

*TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.
**SERVING and STORAGE: Store these cupcakes in the refrigerator and allow them to sit at cool room temperature for a few minutes before serving. These are best the day they are made. I do not recommend freezing them. 
EGGS AND MILK: To quickly bring eggs and milk to room temperature place the four eggs in a bowl of hot tap water for about 3 minutes. Microwave the milk to take the chill off, about 15 seconds. 
FROSTING: This frosting is stabilized with cream cheese, so it tastes like a cheesecake whipped cream. It is very important that your cream is cheese is not too warm,  (slightly soft, but still cool) and your heavy cream should be very cold, straight from the from the fridge. If the cream is warm it will not thicken properly and you'll have a soupy mess. If using a hand mixer for the frosting (rather than a stand mixer), try to hold the bowl at the top so that the heat from your hands doesn't warm the cream. Use a stainless steel bowl, if possible.  Alternatively, you can use vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg