These Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes are moist, tender and totally addicting! There are pieces of chopped strawberry in the cupcake and they are topped with strawberry buttercream! So much flavor and perfect for spring and summer!
I have loads of strawberry desserts on this site and certainly no shortage of variations of strawberry cake and cupcakes. What I love about these though is that they are pretty straight forward with a one-bowl vanilla cupcake base and chunks of strawberries in the batter. There’s plenty of strawberry flavor from the chunks of berries and then they are topped with a delicious strawberry buttercream. These cupcakes are light, moist and full of flavor. I love them so much!
These cupcakes have been updated a couple times over the years with slight improvements, so that you get the best strawberry cupcakes. Compared to the original version from 2012, these cupcakes now use a method that gives you a smoother batter that’s easier to put together, plus has a few more chopped strawberries. The strawberry buttercream also now uses a reduced strawberry puree, rather than just a regular strawberry puree, to give you that extra strawberry flavor. All that said, overall the cupcake is the same. It’s still delicious and just as wonderful now as when I originally shared it.
Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Cupcakes
- Loaded with strawberry flavor – From the chunks of strawberries in the cupcake, to the strawberry reduction in the buttercream, there’s no shortage of strawberry here. Bright, fruity and delicious flavor!
- No dyes – There’s no need for anything artificial here. The chunks of strawberry do the heavy lifting in the cupcake, and the buttercream gets it’s pink flavor naturally from the strawberry puree reduction.
- Easy to make – There’s no creaming involved, and you don’t even need a mixer for the cupcakes (just for the buttercream). These cupcakes come together quickly and easily. No gimmicks needed for amazing cupcakes.
- Moist for DAYS – With the fresh fruit adding moisture right into the cupcakes, these stay fresh for several days. Great for making ahead!
Ingredient Notes
Let’s take a look at the ingredients needed to make these cupcakes. They are pretty straight forward, but there are a few things to note. Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact measurements.
- All Purpose Flour – Measuring the flour correctly is key to getting the perfect texture. I like to use a food scale, but the spoon and level technique, as described in my How to Measure Flour Accurately post, also works. While I haven’t tested it myself, a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour should also work in these cupcakes.
- Baking powder and Baking Soda – The combination of the two gives this cupcake the ultimate rise and texture.
- Salt – Salt helps enhance the overall flavor of the cupcakes. Even a small amount makes a difference. Without it, the flavor is will be bland.
- Butter – Unsalted and melted for the cupcakes, since this recipe doesn’t cream the butter. It should be at room temperature for the buttercream.
- Eggs – Large sized eggs, not medium or extra large
- Sour Cream – Not only does sour cream add moisture, it also helps to keep the batter thick enough so that the strawberries don’t all sink to the bottom of your cupcakes. If you don’t want to use sour cream, you could also try plain Greek yogurt.
- Milk – I use whole milk, but 2% would also work.
- Strawberries – I like to chop them on the smaller side for the cupcakes, so that more can fit into each cupcake. For the buttercream, they will be pureed and cooked down for a stronger flavor.
- Powdered sugar – To add sweetness and volume to the buttercream. You can always reduce the amount, if you’d like. Just keep in mind that you’ll have less buttercream and it’ll have a thinner consistency.
How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Here’s a look at just how easy these cupcakes are to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool before frosting!
Make the Strawberry Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined.
Add the eggs, sour cream and milk one at a time, mixing well after adding each.
Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. Don’t over mix.
Fold in the chopped strawberries gently.
Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream and Frost Cupcakes
Puree your strawberries, then add the puree to a small sized saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduced 3/4 cup to about 6 tablespoons.
Set reduced puree aside to cool.
Flavor the buttercream with the strawberry reduction, then frost the cupcakes.
Tips for Perfect Cupcakes
- Use strawberries with good flavor. The flavor of your cake will only be as good as your strawberries.
- Don’t over mix. When combining all of the cupcake ingredients, mix just until everything is combined and no streaks of flour remain. Over mixing = more gluten development = dense cupcakes.
- Keep an eye on bake time. Every oven is different, so I recommend checking the cupcakes at about the 18 minute mark, then adjusting from there. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean.
- Stir the reduction frequently. The strawberry reduction will burn to the pan if it’s not stirred consistently. The constant stirring also helps more liquid evaporate.
- Thicken your buttercream properly. I know it’s tempting to reduce the powdered sugar for many people, but if you make your buttercream too thin (by reducing the powdered sugar), you won’t be able to add the strawberry reduction without getting a frosting that’s much too thin, or even separated. If you really want to reduce the sugar, reduce everything and just make less buttercream that has the same consistency.
How to Store
- Refrigerator. Seal any leftovers in an airtight container tall enough to accommodate the frosting (ideally a cupcake carrier) and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. When stored properly in a freezer-safe airtight container, these cupcakes will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
These goodies are best at room temperature, so let them sit out on the counter for a bit before serving.
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Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1 ⅔ cups (217g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168g) unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (115g) sour cream
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90ml) milk
- 1 ½ cups (200g) chopped strawberries
FROSTING
- 1 ½ cups (200g) chopped strawberries
- 1 ¼ cups (280g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch or two of salt
- Strawberries (for decorating)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined.
- Add the eggs and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the sour cream and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the milk and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined, but do not over mix.
- Fold in the chopped strawberries.
- Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
- To make the strawberry buttercream, make the strawberry reduction. Add the strawberries to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. You should have about 3/4 cups of puree.
- Add the puree to a small sized saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduced to about 6 tablespoons, about 10-15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 6 tablespoons (between 1/4 and 1/2 cup), add it back to the pan and continue cooking.
- When the puree has thickened and reduced, pour into a large measuring cup and allow to cool to at least room temperature. This strawberry mixture can be made ahead, if you like, and stored in the fridge.
- Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Carefully add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and the salt to the frosting and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional strawberry reduction as needed to get the right consistency and flavor.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844. Decorate with a strawberry half, if desired.
- Cupcakes are best when stored well covered or in an air-tight container. Serve at room temperature. Best if eaten within 2-3 days.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Enjoy!
Categories:
Cakes and Cupcakes, Easter, Holidays, July 4th, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats, Valentine's Day,
I love this recipe! Can I substitute strawberries for raspberries without it being an issue?
I would think that would be OK.
So before I got your response I decided to experiment and although I haven’t tried it without the fruit completely, I did use the base recipe for your Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes (instead of the one that was listed in the Lemon Blueberry Recipe) but then followed everything else exactly the same with blueberry, lemon juice, lemon zest, and of course the lemon buttercream frosting and they amazing! As an added bonus, using the melted butter batter from the strawberry cupcake recipe allowed the blueberries to float rather than sinking to the bottom! I think I accidentally just found my favorite version of your vanilla cupcakes…dense but also melt in your mouth MOIST.
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re happy with them!
I feel like you’re probably tired of hearing all these wonderful comments but alas, here is one more! WOW….I have made several of your cake/cupcake recipes and all have turned out beautifully and been total crowd pleases, but THIS ONE is my absolute all-time favorite so far. I made these once for fun, and then again for Mother’s Day because they were just so good.
So my question is, when strawberries aren’t in season and I’m craving just a really good vanilla cupcake, can I make the same batter minus the folded in berries? This batter and cupcake was just so good. I’m not sure if it was because of the melted butter? But the ease and the final taste of this vanilla cupcake was outstanding. I realized I would have less yield in cupcakes but otherwise is there any reason I couldn’t do that? Thanks so much!
I never tire of hearing people have success! So glad you enjoyed them! As far as using this for a vanilla cupcake, the short answer is that you can. Although I updated this recipe/the photos recently, it is originally based on my very old vanilla cupcake recipe, which you can find at the link below. I think it turns out a little bit different without the strawberries in it. Some people find it to be a little bit dense while others love it. You can definitely give it a try. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/perfect-moist-fluffy-vanilla-cupcakes/
I give taste a 5 star rating. My only concern is that there was so much butter in the recipe that the oils made the bottom of the cupcake wrappers very greasy. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me, but I fixed them for a bridal shower. They were still delicious.
Tha cupcake so moist and the strawberry smell sooo niceee love this recipe thanks for sharing this recipe Lindsay
How can you have 3 cups of strawberries at 200g and 1 1/2 cups at 200g. I’m trying to make these for the weekend. A quick reply is appreciated
Where are you seeing 3 cups? I’m only seeing one and a half cups in both the cupcakes and frosting. That would be a total of 3 cups but it would also be 400g.
Ah, it was the conversion function as I selected “2x” up top. It changed the cupcake recipe, but not the icing.
I also hit the 2X button to double it, and noticed belatedly that it doubled the cupcakes, but does not double the frosting. Additionally, it doubles the cup measure on ingredients such as doubling the all-purpose flour to 3 1/3 cups, but it does not change the gram measurements within the recipe. Unfortunately for me I went by the weights on the berries, flour, and sugar, so my batch did not turn out at all. I’m not sure if there’s a way to include a note or to make it so that the gram measurements also double when you double the recipe, but it caught me off guard and I don’t have time to remake it today so it’s definitely a letdown 🙁 I look forward to trying it again next weekend now that I’ve manually updated all the weights for the ingredients (and manually doubled the frosting as well).
I was planning to replace the milk and sour cream with 8 oz of yogurt. That shouldn’t be a problem right?
I can’t say for sure without trying it. If you want to be sure they turn out correctly, I would follow the recipe. With a change like that, it’s possible the cupcakes will turn out a little dry or that all the strawberries will sink to the bottom of the cupcake.
We LOVE these cupcakes but wondering… did you all change the frosting recipe? It used to include shortening I think!
Glad to hear that! Yes, the recipe was updated recently.
I have made many of the sweets on your blog and this one is a favorite. The frosting is very good but not too sweet and the cake is moist and delicious. My husband requested these for his birthday this year. Thank you for sharing all your talent with us.
I made these for my little girl’s 4th birthday and they were a hit. Everyone raved about them! Way better than I expected and so beautiful. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This was and easy recipe to make and they were really good. I made these for a coworkers birthday and it went over really well.
Do these freeze with or without the frosting?
I would recommend freezing without the frosting and then adding the frosting when you’re ready to serve them.
I made these for my parents’ anniversary party- EVERYONE (even those who didn’t initially want one because they didn’t like strawberry) LOVED THEM! They kept asking me how I made them- every last one was gone! Thank you for a wonderful recipe- it’s my “go-to” from now on! (NOTE: I used Duncan Hines strawberry box mix but substituted heavy whipping cream for water, frosted and then froze them ahead of the party- as the ice crystals impart more moisture into them as they thaw. The icing I made according to your recipe.
These are terrific! Perfect to top off our Easter lunch!
Hi!! Can I freeze the cupcakes and the buttercream to make them in advance? Thank you
You can definitely freeze the frosting. The cupcakes will probably be OK, but sometimes freezing and thawing strawberries makes them mushy. They get a little mushy after baking anyway, but I don’t know if that would get worse after freezing them or not.
Love this recipe! Am wanting to make a 3 tier 10 inch cake – would 2x’s be enough for that?
So glad you enjoy it! I’m honestly not sure about a 10 inch cake. I’m thinking it’s possible that you’d need more than 2x.
Did you make this into a cake? If so, how did it turn out? Were there any modifications you made to it? Looking to make a layer cake as well and would love your input if you’ve tried it!