If you are looking for a beautiful spring cupcake, try these strawberry filled cupcakes. They have diced strawberries swirled throughout the batter, filled in the center and added to a cream cheese frosting.
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Table of contents
Why These Strawberry Cupcakes Are The Best!
These perfectly tender and sweet cupcakes have just the right amount of strawberry in every bite. Not only is there strawberries baked in the vanilla cupcakes, there is a fresh strawberry filling inside the cupcakes along with a strawberry frosting on top!
These cupcakes are perfect for any spring time get together. Surprise your someone special with these pretty cupcakes on Valentine's Day or bake a batch for Mother's Day or even a graduation celebration. I promise these strawberry shortcake cupcakes will be a hit during any occasion.
Equipment Needed
hand mixer or stand mixer- either will work well for this recipe.
muffin pan- a 12 count muffin pan is perfect for this recipe.
piping bag- I like to use these plastic bags, but you can use reusable bags if you prefer.
icing tip set- I use different tips from this set to decorate my cupcakes often. Use your favorite to make a fun design.
Key Ingredients
strawberries- This recipe relies on all fresh strawberries. Because of the added moisture in frozen berries, I can not recommend using frozen strawberries for this recipe.
all-purpose flour- gives these cupcakes a light and airy texture. I never have cake flour on hand so this is my go to flour for cakes.
buttermilk- adds to the moistness of the cupcake. If you do not have buttermilk check out my easy substitution below for homemade buttermilk.
cream cheese- use the full fat variety for the best results for the frosting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vegetable oil together until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix. Next add the diced strawberries to the batter. You could use a food processor to dice the berries, but I just use a pairing knife to cut them into very small pieces.
Add half of the flour mixture with half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients while mixing. Continue to mix while adding the remaining flour and buttermilk until combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Be careful to not overmix, which would make the cupcakes dry.
At this point you can add a small amount of food coloring to give your cupcakes an extra pop of pink. This is completely optional. I have baked them both ways and they look beautiful either way.
Divide the batter into a 12 cup cupcake tin. Fill ¾ of the way full. This should be just the right amount but if there is a little extra batter discard or bake separately. If you over fill the cupcake tin it will rise over the tin and not have the pretty domed shape you want for your cupcakes.
Bake in the oven for 17-19 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Cupcakes are finished baking when no wet crumbs are on the toothpick.
Place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, it is time to make the cream cheese frosting and stuff the cupcakes with strawberries.
In order to add the strawberries to our frosting we must remove as much juice from the berry as possible. Reduce a ¼ of a cup diced strawberries in a small sauce pan to two tablespoons. Stir the strawberries frequently to make sure they do not stick to the pan and burn. Once reduced allow the strawberries to completely cool while mixing the cream cheese.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a half cup at a time to cream cheese while mixing.
Use a cupcake corer or sharp knife to remove the middle of each cupcake. Be careful to not cut through to the bottom. Using a small spoon, fill each opening with about a teaspoon of diced strawberries.
Once the reduced strawberries are cool, add to the frosting along with the vanilla extract. Use a piping bag with a large piping tip to decorate the cupcakes. I used a Wilton 4B to give these cupcakes a pretty swirl.
Add a strawberry slice for extra garnish to the top of the cupcakes.
Storage Recommendations
Because of the cream cheese frosting, the cupcakes must be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container to keep the cupcakes from drying out. They are best if eaten within 2-3 days.
Substituitons
buttermilk- I don't always have buttermilk on hand and use this handy substitution many times when making cakes and biscuits. Add 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and fill the rest with whole milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before you use it in your recipe. It will curdle slightly which is completely normal.
strawberries- fresh fruit is best in this recipe. I can not recommend frozen strawberries because of the extra water they contain.
Looking For Other Strawberry Recipes? Try These!
Strawberry Shortcake Muffins Recipe
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and a 5- star rating. I would love to hear from you! Subscribe Here to get new recipes sent straight to your inbox!
Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- hand or stand mixer
- cupcake tin
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup strawberries, finely chopped
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Strawberry Filling
- ¼ cup strawberries, finely chopped
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup strawberries, finely chopped (reduced to 2 tablespoons)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 3 cups powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add paper liners to a cupcake tin.
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt together.
- In a separate large bowl cream butter, sugar and vegetable oil until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix.
- Add diced strawberries to the batter along with half of the flour and half of the buttermilk.
- Once combined continue to mix while adding the remaining flour and milk. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Be careful to not over mix the cupcake batter.
- Spoon mixture into prepared cupcake pan. Bake on the center rack for 17-19 minutes, checking early with a toothpick for doneness.
- Cool cupcakes on a wire rack while preparing the cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add ¼ cup of diced strawberries to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Stir the strawberries frequently to make sure they do not stick while the moisture is evaporating from the berry. Reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl add the room temperature butter and cream cheese. Use a hand or stand mixer to cream together until light and fluffy. Add ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time to the mixture. Once combined add the cooled strawberry puree and vanilla extract.
- Use a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcakes. Fill each cavity with diced strawberries.
- Add cream cheese frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Decorate the top with strawberry slices.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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