In late April and early May our region of the south have fresh grown strawberries, the perfect time to make Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes. With a pint of fresh vine ripened strawberries and freeze dried strawberries, this recipe for strawberry cupcakes is full of rich berry flavor. Strawberry puree along with the dried strawberry puree is the right balance for the Strawberry buttercream frosting. If you want to make standard cupcakes or mini cupcakes you can’t go wrong with serving these delicious mini cakes.
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
What I love about these cupcakes is they are made from scratch meaning no cake mix. There’s plenty of strawberry flavor from the pureed berries and delicious strawberry buttercream. These cupcakes are light, moist and bursting full of flavor. This might be one of my favorite cupcake recipes. If you want to make a 6″ two layer round cake instead of cupcakes you can. The recipe is very versatile. The strawberry buttercream uses a reduced strawberry puree, rather than just a regular strawberry puree, to give you that extra strawberry flavor.
Reasons to Love this Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes
- Best fresh strawberry flavor without using extracts.
- You can make these cupcakes with fresh or frozen strawberries, whether its strawberry season.
- The strawberry buttercream is American buttercream made with freeze dried strawberries or fresh pureed that helps calm down the sweetness of the buttercream.
- Adding a few drops soft pink food coloring to the cupcake batter makes the cupcakes a pretty bright strawberry cupcake, especially baking in pink cupcake liners.
- Pureeing and reducing the strawberries might seen daunting, but it really isn’t and will make a huge difference in the flavor of the cupcakes. Just follow the instructions and enjoy the process, you will be richly rewarded with oohs and ahh’s!
- Better than box cake cupcakes. Really!
How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes
- Make the Strawberry Reduction. Taste a strawberry to see how sweet it is. If it is not very add 1 teaspoon sugar to the puree you are about to make. In a food processor with steel blade, puree 1 cup or 6 ounces of fresh or frozen strawberries. If frozen no need to defrost, as you will be placing the berry puree in a saucepan. On medium low heat simmer puree for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally until reduced to half the amount or 1/2 cup. If there is more than 1/2 cup keep on the heat until you get 1/2 cup. Set aside until cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, line cupcake pan with pink or white cupcake liners.
- In medium bowl, add cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, add room temperature butter, beat 3 minutes until smooth. Add sugar beat on medium speed to combine 2 minutes. Scrape down side and bottom of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla, orange extract, sour cream, 1/4 cup strawberry puree, whole milk and 2 drops pink food gel. Beat together until combined.
- Turn mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and blend until flour disappears but do not over mix.
- With large ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with cupcake batter. Lightly tap the cupcake pan to remove any air pockets. Bake at 350°F for 14 minutes.
- Once baked, allow cupcakes too cool to touch, remove from pan onto cooling rack. At this point if you want to freeze half of the cupcakes to serve later, place in ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Do not frost cupcakes and then freeze.
How to Make Strawberry Buttercream
1. With a food processor fitted with steel blade, add 1 cup freeze dried strawberries, process into a fine powder, set aside. (Using freeze dried berries will triple the flavor of strawberry.)
2. In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter, strawberry powder and strawberry puree until creamy. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Add vanilla and orange extract. Beat frosting until creamy and medium piping consistency.
3. Fit and fill disposable piping bag with tip # 1 M and strawberry buttercream. Pipe swirled frosting over cupcakes you plan to serve. Garnish with small sliced fresh strawberry. Store excess frosting in sealed container in refrigerator. Frosting will last up to two weeks in refrigerator. Or freeze for longer storage.
Notes: If you don’t want to use freeze dried strawberries, you can use pureed fresh strawberries instead. Just use 2 mashed fresh berries as the berries will create more juice causing you to use more confectioner’s sugar.
Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes
Fresh and freeze dried strawberries make delicious fluffy and moist Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 15 standard cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
15 medium fresh or frozen strawberries + 1 teaspoon sugar (pureed to make 1 cup) end result is 1/2 cup reduction. (1/4 cup for cupcake batter, 1/4 cup for buttercream).
Dry ingredients
1–1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
Cupcake Batter
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1–2 drops pink food gel
Strawberry Buttercream
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup freeze organic dried strawberries
4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup strawberry puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
Garnish
4–6 unblemished medium sized strawberries
3 teaspoons strawberry jam, melted
Instructions
1.Taste a strawberry to see how sweet it is. If it is not very add 1 teaspoon sugar to the puree you are about to make. In a food processor with steel blade, puree 1 cup or 6 ounces of fresh or frozen strawberries. If frozen no need to defrost, as you will be placing the berry puree in a saucepan. On medium low heat simmer puree for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally until reduced to half the amount or 1/2 cup. If there is more than 1/2 cup keep on the heat until you get 1/2 cup. Reserve 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup for buttercream. Set aside until cool.
2.Preheat oven to 350°F, line cupcake pan with pink or white cupcake liners.
3.In medium bowl, add cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
4.In bowl stand mixer with paddle attachment, add room temperature butter, beat 3 minutes until smooth. Add sugar beat on medium speed to combine 2 minutes. Scrape down side and bottom of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla, orange extract, sour cream, 1/4 cup strawberry puree, whole milk and 2 drops pink food gel. Beat together until combined.
5.Turn mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and blend until flour disappears but do not over mix.
6.With large ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with cupcake batter. Lightly tap the cupcake pan to remove any air pockets. Bake at 350°F for 14 minutes.
7. Once baked, melt strawberry jam, brush jam over warm cupcakes except for the cupcakes you plan to freeze. Allow cupcakes too cool to touch, remove from pan onto cooling rack. At this point if you want to freeze half of the cupcakes to serve later, place in ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Do not frost or brush cupcakes with jam if you plan to freeze.
Strawberry Buttercream
1.With a food processor fitted with steel blade, add 1 cup freeze dried strawberries, process into a fine powder, set aside. (Using freeze dried berries will triple the flavor of strawberry.)
2. In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter, strawberry powder and strawberry puree until creamy. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Add vanilla and orange extract. Beat frosting until creamy and medium piping consistency.
Assembly
1.Fit and fill disposable piping bag with tip # 1 M and strawberry buttercream. Pipe swirled frosting over cupcakes you plan to serve.
2. Garnish with small sliced fresh strawberry. Store excess frosting in sealed container in refrigerator. Frosting will last up to two weeks in refrigerator. Or freeze for longer storage.
3. Recipe makes 15 standard cupcakes or 24 -1″ cakes
Notes
Notes: If you don’t want to use freeze dried strawberries, you can use pureed fresh strawberries instead. Just use 2 mashed fresh berries as the berries will create more juice causing you to use more confectioner’s sugar.
Freeze dried strawberries is preferred for the buttercream.
Other Ideas You Might Like To Try
Easy to make fresh strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream. Everyone will love this cupcake. I must admit using freeze dried strawberries in the buttercream creates a rich full bodied flavor of fresh strawberries and makes the piping of cupcakes perfection.