Strawberry Cupcakes

30-minute fluffy strawberry cupcakes loaded with sweet and light strawberry flavor and topped with silky smooth strawberry cream cheese frosting.

My best tip to make fluffier cake batter for these double strawberry cupcakes is to add egg whites! Beaten, they are so airy that it makes a whole lot of difference.

Berry-filled cupcakes are just bite-sized pieces of classic layer cake, and I really love these small versions, with just a few ingredients, I make two full tins of cupcakes!

Have heaps of fresh strawberries to work through? Try my decadent strawberry recipes: airy strawberry delight, strawberry loaf cake, and beautifully pink strawberry cake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You can easily make a large batch of cupcakes in under 30 minutes – it is that easy, much easier than making a whole strawberry cake.
• Year-round sweet treat. Don’t have to wait for the strawberry season to come, you can always use dried strawberries or frozen strawberries!
• They are absolutely beautiful and will be great for Easter, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, or St Valentine’s.

Ingredients Notes

• Strawberry purée. Roughly 1 pound of fresh strawberries makes a cup of the puree (all we need).
• Flour mixture: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. If using self-rising flour, you can skip baking powder. Sift the flour and make sure there are no lumps.
• Unsalted butter, softened. I will use the whole 2 sticks to make these cupcakes incredibly buttery and soft. Note that I use softened butter instead of melted butter.
• Granulated sugar. Although you can use powdered sugar too, I find the results with granulated sugar to be better, not overly sweet, and moist.
• Eggs bind everything together and make those perfect soft and bouncy cupcakes.
• Egg whites are my secret ingredient for soft cupcakes. Make sure to use room temperature eggs.
• Strawberry extract for a stronger strawberry flavor in both the cupcakes and the frosting.
• Pink food coloring or red gel food coloring (optional, for extra vibrancy). I used AmeriColor Fuchsia Color in both cupcakes and frosting.

Kitchen Equipment

• 12-cup muffin pan + cupcake liners
• Piping Tip. I used Wilton 1M
• Blender or food processor
• Medium mixing bowl
• Measuring cup
• Stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or paddle attachment

How To Make Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

1: Make Strawberry Puree

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
2. Line 2 – 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. Puree 1 pound of fresh strawberries using a food processor or blender, until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds if desired. Set aside.

2: Make Cupcake Batter

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the sugar and butter on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
3. Add the eggs, egg whites, and strawberry extract to the butter mixture. Beat with mixer on low speed until combined. It is best to add eggs one at a time.
4. Stir in the strawberry mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined—don’t overmix.
6. Optional: Add a few drops of pink or red gel food coloring to enhance the pink color.

3: Baking Cupcakes

1. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Do not overfill, cupcakes overflow easily and they won’t be pretty in that case.
2. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
3. Frost cooled cupcake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, and add a fresh strawberry to decorate. 

Storage

Store fresh strawberry cupcakes in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. Let them warm back to the room temperature before enjoying.

Frosted cupcakes last less (around 2 days).

You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

You can make the cupcakes and frosting ahead of time. Frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Substitutions & Variations

• Cupcakes. Use boxed cake mix to save time or cake flour to make really fluffy soft cupcakes.
• Filled cupcakes. You can inject cupcakes with strawberry filling or strawberry jam (homemade or store-bought) thickened with cornstarch slurry.
• Strawberries. You can use freeze-dried strawberries.
• Frosting. You can also make creamy strawberry buttercream frosting instead of cream cheese frosting.
• Use strawberry powder in the batter or to decorate to add more strawberry flavor without artificial strawberry flavoring. Powder or strawberry reduction are also a great substitute for strawberry puree.
• To balance the strawberry flavor, you can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste instead or alongside strawberry extract. Another way to make the taste fresher is to add some lemon zest.
• Use raspberries instead of strawberries.

Popular Questions

Can You Put Strawberries In Cupcake Batter?

Absolutely, put fresh or frozen strawberries in cupcake batter! Adding fresh or chopped strawberries to your cupcake batter can enhance the flavor and make your cupcakes taste fruity and delicious.

What Is The Secret To Super Moist Cupcakes?

The secret to super moist cupcakes is all about liquid ingredients, and not just fatty ones. Using ingredients like whole milk, egg whites, sour cream, or yogurt can add extra moisture to the batter.

Also, make sure not to overmix the batter, as this can make the cupcakes tough and dense, and not overbake it, as it will dry out.

If you love this easy cupcake recipe, you’re going to love these other cupcakes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Strawberry Treats

Strawberry Cake Recipe – From Scratch

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

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