Fresh strawberries throughout a soft, fluffy vanilla cupcake that is then topped with a strawberry purée infused cream cheese buttercream. These are the best, most flavorful and strawberry studded cupcakes you’ll ever sink your sweet tooth into!
With Valentine’s Day creeping up around the corner, it’s time to focus on love. And not just that “being in love” love. I mean pure love between you and anyone that melts you. Like your kids, pets, parents, friends, and yourself.
I love that Hallmark created all of these holidays! Because anytime you can set aside time to appreciate the life around you and celebrate with those who mean something to you, that’s what makes a holiday special. And then comes the food! For Valentine’s Day let’s focus on special themed treats like these Strawberry Cupcakes.
I created these strawberry cupcakes for Bea and Tilly, two of the loves of my life. The girls love strawberries, the color pink, and cupcakes so much that this sweet treat is the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert for strawberry lovers everywhere.
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Strawberry Cupcakes
These strawberry cupcakes have a couple of components with a special infusion. First there is the vanilla cake batter that is filled with fresh strawberries. Then there is the silky cream cheese frosting that includes a fresh and homemade strawberry syrup infusion. What I love about these strawberry cupcakes is that they aren’t too sweet, include strawberries in different forms, and have a creamy strawberry flavor in every single bite.
Cake Batter
The cake batter for these strawberry cupcakes is a vanilla cake batter swirled with fresh strawberries. For a creamy and hint of tang to compliment the strawberries, I use a combination of sour cream and whole milk.
Before starting on the strawberry cupcake batter, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line or grease up the cupcake tins. Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
The first step is to pulse up your fresh strawberries using a blender or food processor. The strawberries should be chunky and releasing their juices. So do not turn it into a purée. Set the chunky strawberries and juice aside.
Then use a stand or hand mixer to cream the sugar and butter for a few minutes until pale and fluffy.
Next, add eggs one at a time, and beat in, scraping down the bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk up your cake flour, salt, and baking powder. Note that you can alternatively use 1 cup of AP flour in place of cake flour if needed.
In another bowl, whisk together your sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. If you would like to add a pop of pink color to these strawberry cupcakes, add in some pink food coloring gel!
Turn the mixer to lowest setting and add half of flour mixture. Then pour in wet ingredients and incorporate. Then finish with dry ingredients.
Lastly, add the strawberries.
Divide into 12 cupcake tins. Bake approximately 17-20 minutes. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.
Meanwhile, move onto the frosting. This strawberry cream cheese frosting uses a fresh strawberry reduction to give real strawberry flavor and natural pink color to the Frosting.
This is a two step frosting.
First, begin by making your strawberry reduction.
In a heavy bottom saucepan set on medium heat, put rinsed and hulled strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Boil for 5 minutes, pressing the strawberries with a potato masher a couple of times during cooking to break it up. Then remove from heat and set a fine mesh strainer over a big bowl. Strain out the juice and discard the pulp. Put the strawberry juice back into the saucepan and reduce it to half. Once reduced, set aside. It should be thickened and syrupy once it cools.
Once your cupcakes and that strawberry reduction has completely cooled, move on to the cream cheese frosting.
Swap the paddle attachment of your mixer for the whisk. Cream the butter and cream cheese until it’s whipped. This takes about a minute. Then with the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Next, add the strawberry reduction and a bit of milk.
Whip it for a couple minutes until fluffy, light, and pink.
Then pipe it into the cupcakes, dust with some gold flakes, and cut out heart strawberries for garnish! For an extra romantic touch, make some Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries!
And for the most strawberrylicious cake ever, try my Strawberries & Cream Layer Cake.
When you make These strawberry cupcakes make sure to tag me on Instagram @ritzymomblog for a chance to be featured in my stories or feed!
Strawberry Cupcakes
Fresh strawberries throughout a soft, fluffy vanilla cupcake that is then topped with a strawberry purée infused cream cheese buttercream. These are the best, most flavorful and strawberry studded cupcakes you’ll ever sink your sweet tooth into!
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Butter Softened, unsalted
- 3/4 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Large Eggs Room temperature
- 1 1/3 Cup Cake flour
- 1.5 Teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 Cup Sour cream
- 1/4 Cup Whole milk
- 1/2 Cup Pulsed strawberries
Strawberry Reduction
- 12 Ounces Strawberries Rinsed and hulled
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1/2 Cup Butter Salted
- 1/2 Cup Butter Unsalted
- 4 Ounces Cream cheese
- 4 Cups Powdered sugar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons Milk If too thick
- Strawberry purée
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins.
1. Use stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. 2 minutes.
2. While that’s mixing purée your strawberries. Set aside.
3. Add eggs, one at a time scrape bowl and beat well for an additional minute.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder.
5.In another bowl, whisk wet ingredients: milk, sour cream, vanilla extract.
6. Turn mixer to lowest setting and add half flour mixture.
7. Then add milk mixture and incorporate
8. Then add the rest of dry ingredients.
9. Add strawberries.
10. Divide evenly into cupcake tins.
11. Bake 17-20 minutes
12. Cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry reduction
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Meanwhile, rinse and hull 12 ounces of strawberries.
Then put a saucepan on medium heat and add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
Then boil 5 minutes, mashing a couple times with fork or potato masher.
Then strain into a bowl using fine mesh sieve.
Put collected juice back into pan and reduce by half.
Allow to cool and thicken.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream
-
Switch to whisk attachment of stand mixer.
Cream butter and cream cheese for 2 minutes. Turn mixer to low speed before gradually adding powder sugar.
Then add strawberry reduction and extract. Whip for 2 minutes until fluffy.
* Add milk if it’s too thick too pipe. Go 1 tablespoon at a time.