Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
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These fresh strawberry cupcakes are a spin on my famous strawberry cake, which has been delighting taste buds and collecting rave reviews since its publication in 2017. Made without gelatin, these cupcakes pack a punch of real strawberry flavor from fresh berries, creating moist, fluffy cupcakes that get topped with an equally flavorful strawberry buttercream.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bushel and Berry®.
Tested & Perfected: Strawberry Cupcakes Inspired by My Famous Cake
If you’re a regular reader of mine, there’s a good chance you may already be familiar with my famous (yes, really) strawberry cake. That delectable, rave-review-worthy recipe has been winning hearts (and taste buds) since its debut in 2017. Over the years, countless readers have called it the best strawberry cake they’ve ever had, and I’ve taken that same beloved flavor and texture and transformed it into these strawberry cupcakes. Just like the cake, these cupcakes are made without gelatin and get their bright, fresh strawberry flavor comes entirely from real strawberries. You won’t find any extracts, oils, or shortcuts here!
Creating the perfect strawberry cupcake took thorough testing to ensure a light and fluffy texture that holds up to its bold flavor. Since fresh strawberries bring a lot of moisture to the batter, we can run into heavy crumb issues. In order to mitigate density, I took a page out of my red velvet cupcake recipe and incorporated whipped egg whites into the batter to help give these cupcakes some additional lift.
Moreover, since we’re slightly reducing the egg yolks (fat), I added richness and moisture back in with full-fat sour cream, keeping the crumb soft and tender. All this said, it’s important that you follow the recipe exactly, as you’ll be rewarded with cupcakes that are moist (without being wet) and absolutely bursting with fresh strawberry goodness.
Last but not least, these cupcakes get topped with a silky strawberry buttercream for the cherry berry on top. Trust these cupcakes are guaranteed to impress, so don’t be surprised when your guests reach for a second (or third)!
GRAB THESE CAREFULLY CHOSEN KEY INGREDIENTS
Here’s a breakdown of the key ingredients you will need. For a full list of the ingredients and amounts you will need, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
FRESH STRAWBERRIES: there is no substitute for fresh strawberries in this cupcake recipe, though you can use thawed, previously frozen strawberries. Thanks to Bushel and Berry®, I had fresh strawberries available to me when I made this recipe. I particularly like this strawberry plant, Scarlet Belle™, because it produces juicy strawberries all season! It works well planted in patio pots, hanging baskets, or garden beds.
EGG + EGG WHITE: you’ll need one full egg and just the yolk from another. The whole egg will go into the batter as is, but you’ll whip the white to help bring lift to the cupcakes (alongside baking powder).
FULL FAT SOUR CREAM: the strawberry cake recipe these cupcakes are adapted from uses 3 eggs, and halving 3 eggs can be challenging. To get around this issue, I reduced the eggs to just 1 and built in some extra fat with sour cream.
MILK: I prefer whole cow milk here, as full fat dairy brings the most moisture and flavor to baked goods.
FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES: while the cupcake batter will use fresh strawberries, there is just no nice way to get fresh, wet strawberries into a frosting without turning it into a goopy, sloppy mess. We’ll use freeze-dried strawberries ground into a powder to make the frosting. If you love using them, make my frosted strawberry cookies or strawberry sugar cookies next!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
Before starting these cupcakes, you’ll want to make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Allow them to sit out for about 45-60 minutes before starting. Room temperature ingredients will incorporate much more smoothly than cold ones which will prevent you from overmixing the batter which can lead to tough, dense cupcakes.
Blend the strawberries: using a blender or food processor, pulse the fresh strawberries about 10-12 times until they are somewhere between “finely chopped” and “pureed.” You want mostly large and small chunks with some liquid. We’ll use these strawberries in a bit.
Combine the dry ingredients: whisking together the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ensures you don’t have any pockets of leavener or salt. Just a quick toss or whisk will get the job done!
Whip the egg white: before we get started on the wet ingredients, we want to make sure that whipped egg white is ready to go. Whip it to medium-soft peaks, then set it aside.
Start the cupcake batter: cream the butter and sugar together, then add the vanilla, egg, and sour cream. Once they’ve all come together, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Add the flour + milk by alternating them: you’ll add half of the flour and half of the milk to the batter to start, then repeat with the remaining halves of each. This allows the batter to come together slowly and carefully preventing pockets of dry ingredients and also drowning the batter with too much liquid.
Add the egg white + strawberries: no more mixer! Finish the batter by hand with a large spatula. You’ll fold the egg white in and then the strawberries until your batter is cohesive and the strawberries are evenly dispersed. Use a light hand as vigorous stirring will deflate the egg white. The batter will become smooth and glossy as you mix.
Portion out + bake: fill your cupcake liners ½ to ⅔ of the way full then bake. You’ll want to keep a careful eye on them so as not to overbake them as they can dry out. Allow them to cool completely before topping with frosting.
Make the frosting + decorate: instructions for making the frosting are in the recipe below, but if you want a more detailed approach, you can check out my post dedicated entirely to this strawberry buttercream. I went with a Wilton 1M tip for my swirl but you can use any tip (or just the end of a bag snipped off!) to decorate your cupcakes.
MORE FROSTING IDEAS
Lucky for you, these cupcakes will take to many different flavors, and I think you should try all of them and report back.
Consider my Swiss meringue buttercream (you can add 2 Tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder if you want!), chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, cream cheese frosting (again, consider adding 2 Tablespoons of strawberry powder), classic vanilla buttercream, or the lemon buttercream from my blueberry lemon cupcakes.
MORE FRESH STRAWBERRY RECIPES
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
- 1 cup sliced strawberries2 approximately 8 large strawberries
- 1 and ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons (195g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg white room temperature1
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature1
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature1
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) full fat sour cream room temperature1
- ½ cup (120g) milk any; room temperature1
STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- ½ cup (10g) freeze-dried strawberries2
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 to 2 and ½ cups (240-300g) powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons (30-45mL) milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line the wells of a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Place the chopped strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse about 10-12 times until the strawberries are somewhere between "finely chopped" and "pureed." You want mostly large and small chunks with some liquid. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 and ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons (195g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of the mixer you plan to use for the cupcake batter fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg white to medium-soft peaks. This means you want the peaks to stand up but curl over slightly when the whisk is lifted away. Set aside.1 large egg white
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg, and sour cream and continue blending until everything is completely incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons (30g) full fat sour cream
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk. Mix until batter is just combined.½ cup (120g) milk
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, then add the whipped egg white. Use a large spatula to gently fold the egg white into the batter. When the egg white is mostly incorporated, add the strawberries and fold them in until evenly dispersed. Continue to work gently so as not to deflate the batter.1 cup sliced strawberries2
- Spoon batter evenly into the cupcake liners filling ½ to ⅔ of the way full (I like to use an ice cream scoop with a trigger– one scant scoop full). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. If the cupcakes need a little longer, indicated by wet batter on the toothpick, bake for a minute longer and retesting, taking care not to overbake the cupcakes as they will dry out. You may need to bake an additional minute, test, and rebake and retest until cupcakes are properly finished. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pans completely on a wire rack before removing and decorating.
STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Set aside.½ cup (10g) freeze-dried strawberries2
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream. Add the strawberry powder and salt, increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. If frosting is too stiff, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.2 to 2 and ½ cups (240-300g) powdered sugar, 2 to 3 Tablespoons (30-45mL) milk or cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
ASSEMBLE THE CUPCAKES
- Frost the cupcakes using a large zip top bag with the corner snipped off or a pastry bag fitted with your decorating tip of choice.
- Store cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature up to 4 days or in the refrigerator up to 6 days.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients: it’s important your ingredients are all at room temperature to ensure even incorporation into the batter.
- Strawberries: you can use frozen strawberries, too. Thaw them first then blot or squeeze some of the liquid out of them before using. You will be pureeing them, but you want to start with halved pieces first instead of just blending whole strawberries.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: freeze-dried strawberries are typically found in the dried fruit section of your grocery store. If you can’t find them there, check the aisle with bulk candy, if your grocery store has one.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.