Strawberry Sundae Cupcakes

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These strawberry sundae cupcakes scream carefree summer days full of sun and ice cream. Moist vanilla cupcakes are topped with strawberry buttercream and finished with a drizzle of chocolate ganache, rainbow sprinkles, and cherries on top. A summery sundae in cupcake form!

Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Sundae Cupcakes

• Moist, flavorful vanilla cupcakes. The vanilla cupcake in this recipe happens to be one of my favorites. It’s wonderfully moist (thanks to some vegetable oil) and has a richness to it from the butter in the batter. They aren’t overly sweet and have the perfect amount of vanilla in them.
• Big fruit flavor. The strawberry really comes through in the frosting. Thanks freeze-dried strawberries! The flavor stands out beautifully against the wonderfully simple vanilla cupcake base.
• Nostalgic appeal. These cupcakes remind me of a classic ice cream sundae. A little vanilla, a little strawberry, some chocolate sauce (or ganache in this case), and a cherry on top. Complete with rainbow sprinkles, they’re sure to remind even the most grown-up adults of summery days as a child.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Here’s a look at what you’ll need for these cupcakes and some notes on them, as well as some substitutions. For precise measurements, scroll to the recipe card below.

• All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly using a food scale or the spoon and level method so that you don’t end up with dry cupcakes. Check out my tutorial on How to Measure Flour for details.
• Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
• Milk – Whole milk or 2% milk would be best.
• Freeze-dried strawberries – I love the ease of using freeze-dried strawberries, but you could also use fresh strawberry puree. Check out my strawberry buttercream recipe to see how.
• Powdered sugar – For a great piping consistency, I recommend using the amount listed in the recipe. However, you can reduce the amount if you’d like to. If you want to reduce it, I’d recommend reducing everything else as well, in equal parts.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Stick with semi-sweet chocolate for the correct consistency. Other types of chocolate will make the ganache thicker or thinner.
• Additional decorations – Sprinkles and cherries. I used maraschino cherries but fresh pitted cherries or Amarena cherries would also be fun. Feel free to add your favorite sundae toppings!

How To Make Strawberry Sundae Cupcakes

Time to start baking. Here’s a basic rundown of how to make these sweet treats. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.

Make the cupcakes

• Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Cream together the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla until light in color and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.

• Put it all together. Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Gradually mix in the milk followed by the remaining dry ingredients.

• Bake. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes.
• Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack.

Make the Buttercream and Frost Cupcakes

• Powder the strawberries. Grind the strawberries to a powder in a food processor or blender.
• Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth and then mix in half of the powdered sugar along with the strawberry powder. Mix in 3 tablespoons of cream and the vanilla extract followed by the remaining powdered sugar. You can mix in more cream if the frosting is too thick.

• Frost the cupcakes. Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
• Make the chocolate ganache. Bring the heavy whipping cream to a light boil and pour it over the chocolate chips. Let them sit for 1-2 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Cool for 3-5 minutes.
• Decorate. Drizzle the ganache over the strawberry buttercream. Add sprinkles, a cherry, and any other ice cream sundae toppings you might like.

Tips for Success

• Don’t skimp on creaming time. When creaming together the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla, do so until the mixture has significantly lightened in color and become fluffy. This process introduces air into the batter, giving you lighter, fluffier cupcakes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl. You want to make sure all of the ingredients make it into the cupcakes without any random lumps. So, when adding and mixing ingredients into the batter and the frosting, scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
• Don’t over-mix. Once you start adding the dry ingredients to the cupcake batter, mix just until everything is combined. Mixing past that point can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you tough cupcakes.
• Get the frosting right. Add a little more heavy cream to the frosting if it is too thick. If it is too thin, mix in a bit more powdered sugar. Check out my tutorial on how to get the right frosting consistency for more information.
• Frost like a pro. Have a look at my tutorial on How To Frost Cupcakes to learn how to make these the prettiest desserts ever.
• Let the ganache cool a bit. Allow the ganache to cool for a few minutes before drizzling it over the frosting. If it is too hot, it won’t set on the frosting properly.
• Squeeze bottle magic. I like using a squeeze bottle to drizzle the chocolate ganache over the frosted cupcakes. It allows for the most control.

How to Store These Cupcakes

Store the cupcakes in an airtight cupcake carrier or in a single layer in an airtight container tall enough to accommodate the frosting. You can store them at room temperature for up to 24 hours, in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. They are best enjoyed at room temperature so let them sit on the counter for a bit before biting in.

More Cupcake Recipes

• Strawberry Truffle Cupcakes
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Homemade Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
• Marble Cupcakes
• Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
• Lemon Cupcakes

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