Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

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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!

fresh strawberry cupcakes on marble and wood cake stand with strawberries around base

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

I have loads of strawberry-based 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’m so in love!

This is actually the second time this recipe has been updated. The original version was posted way back when I first started this blog, in 2012. Then it was updated in 2014. And now it’s being updated again, only this time the recipe is basically the same.

There are a few little updates to the method for the cupcake to give you a smoother batter that’s easier to put together, plus a little more chopped strawberry. And then the strawberry buttercream now uses a reduced strawberry puree, rather than just a regular strawberry puree, to give you that extra strawberry flavor. But overall the cupcake is the same. Despite being about 7 years old, it’s still delicious and just as wonderful now as when I originally shared it. Love it!

Recipe Ingredients

For the Strawberry Cupcakes

  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking powder and Baking Soda: The combination of the two gives this cupcake the ultimate texture.
  • Salt: For flavor.
  • Butter: Unsalted and melted, since this recipe doesn’t cream the butter.
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Eggs: Large sized eggs.
  • 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.
  • Milk
  • Chopped Strawberries: One and half cups of chopped strawberries for cupcakes that are loaded with flavor!

For the Strawberry Buttercream

  • Strawberries: You’ll need about 1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries, measured after chopping.
  • Unsalted Butter: Control the amount of salt in your buttercream by adding it yourself. Butter should be room temperature.
  • Powdered Sugar: For volume and thickness.
  • Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
  • Salt: To taste

bunch of strawberry cupcakes on the top of a cake standstrawberry cupcakes on a marble stand and pink napkin

How to Make Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

These cupcakes are quite simple to make. I LOVE that they use only one bowl for the cupcake batter! Unlike my typical cupcake recipes, there’s no creaming involved, so they are super quick to make.

Make the Strawberry Cupcakes

  1. Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
  2. Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. Combine Butter, Sugar and Vanilla: In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined.
  4. Add Eggs, Sour Cream and Milk: Add the eggs, sour cream and milk one at a time, mixing well after adding each. Adding them one at a time ensures they all incorporate nicely, without giving you a lumpy batter.
  5. Add Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined, but do not over mix. You want the batter to be evenly mixed and smooth, but don’t over do it or you could end up with tough cupcakes.
  6. Stir in Strawberries: Fold in the chopped strawberries gently. You don’t want to beat up your strawberries or over mix the batter.
  7. Bake: 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.

Make the Strawberry Buttercream

  1. Make the strawberry reduction: Using a strawberry reduction doubles up the strawberry flavor. To make it, you’ll puree your strawberries, then cook them down by half. So after pureeing your strawberries, you should have about 3/4 cup 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 tbsp, about 10-15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 6 tbsp (between 1/4 and 1/2 cup), add it back to the pan and continue cooking. Set aside to cool when it’s done.
  2. Beat Butter: Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
  3. Add Powdered Sugar: Carefully add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
  4. Add Strawberry Reduction, Vanilla and Salt: Add 4 tablespoons of the strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and the salt to the frosting and mix until well combined.
  5. Finish Powdered Sugar: Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
  6. Get the Right Consistency: Add additional strawberry reduction as needed to get the right consistency and flavor.

Assemble the Cupcakes

  1. Pipe the Frosting: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
  2. Garnish: Decorate with a strawberry half, if desired.

strawberry cupcakes on cake stand with bowl of strawberries in background

More Great Strawberry Recipes

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
Homemade Strawberry Cake
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake
Strawberry Crunchy Layer Cake

Watch How To Make Them

 

Read Transcript

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strawberry cupcake on a cake stand with other cupcakes around
Recipe

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 14-16 Cupcakes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

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!


Ingredients

CUPCAKES

  • 1 2/3 cups (217g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (207g) sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) chopped strawberries

FROSTING

  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) chopped strawberries
  • 1 1/4 cups (280g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch or two of salt
  • Strawberries, for decorating

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined.
  4. Add the eggs and whisk together until well combined.
  5. Add the sour cream and whisk together until well combined.
  6. Add the milk and whisk together until well combined.
  7. Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined, but do not over mix.
  8. Fold in the chopped strawberries.
  9. 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.
  10. Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
  11. 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.
  12. 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 tbsp, about 10-15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 6 tbsp (between 1/4 and 1/2 cup), add it back to the pan and continue cooking.
  13. 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.
  14. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
  15. Carefully add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
  16. Add 4 tablespoons of the strawberry reduction, vanilla extract and the salt to the frosting and mix until well combined.
  17. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional strawberry reduction as needed to get the right consistency and flavor.
  18. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844. Decorate with a strawberry half, if desired.
  19. Cupcakes are best when stored well covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve at room temperature

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
  • Calories: 275
  • Sugar: 26.3 g
  • Sodium: 100.8 mg
  • Fat: 15.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.1 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Cholesterol: 42.6 mg

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Enjoy!

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543 Comments
  1. Beverly Reininger

    Just made these for a baby shower. It was a baby boy shower, so I made a Swiss meringue buttercream icing instead so I could color it blue and didn’t get to try the raved over icing posted here, but the cupcakes are AMAZING!! I will definitely be making them again and using the vanilla cupcake base for other cupcakes!! Thank you!

      1. Krissy

        Hi Lindsay! Made your cupcakes last week! The cupcakes were yummy! However I had a problem with the frosting, if we wanted to use butter instead of shortening would we have to use salted butter as well? I found that the frosting was too sweet and very funny, how do we avoid  this? Thank you for all your help and sharing this delicious recipe! 

      2. Lindsay

        You may find this post about my standard buttercream base helpful. It walks through the ingredients a bit and why I use what I use and making some substitutions. I hope it’s helpful!

  2. Kayla

    Hi. I’m wondering if the strawberries in the icing would be ok till 2 days from when I make it or would they spoil? These look delicious! ???? thanks

    1. Lindsay

      That depends a little on the freshness of the berries. Certainly you’d want to refrigerate it so it holds up better.

      1. Kayla

        I made the icing and it turned out AH-MAZING. Seriously to die for. I had to keep my hands out of the spoon drawer so i didnt devour this stuff by the spoonful. Perfect amount of sweetness… Real berry flavour… It doesn’t get better than this. I made moist vanilla cupcakes and filled them with a dot of homemade strawberry jam and topped them with this icing. Best cupcakes I’ve ever made ???????? thanks so much for the great recipe!!

  3. Samantha

    Great recipe. I have made these several times now but just wondering if I were to leave the strawberries out of the cupcake would it be a good vanilla cupcake?

  4. Rebecca

    I’m planning on making this, but live at near 5,000ft altitude. I’ve had trouble with cupcakes in the past. Would you alter this recipe at all for altitude? thanks!

  5. Jade

    Made these today and they are moist and delicious!  I like how they aren’t overly sweet like bakery cupcakes.  These remind me more of muffins, maybe that’s just how mine turned out but I will definitely make these again.  No need to search any further for strawberry cupcake recipes!

  6. Jenny from jennyisbaking.com

    Hi Lindsay, thank you. Yes, indeed! As there are so many different conversion chartes out there, I wanted to be sure since everyone somehow measures differently. Will let you know how they turned out.

  7. Jenny from jennyisbaking.com

    Hi Lindsay,
    I just came across your blog, wow, I don’t know which recipe to start with! This one especially appeals to me. Looks so great and also simple. Simple yet tasty recipes are my favorite.
    However, I have noticed that you give metric conversions in your newest recipes. Would you mind adding them here, too? That would be wonderful. Thanks for this, I am still stunned!

  8. Iuliana

    hi Lindsay! Congrats for all your work, looks amazing! One question, hope you can help me out: I tried these and had problems with the icing which became somehow running and the butter curdling. that happened after I added the strawberries puree, so I guess it’s because of the water contained by the fruits. What to do? 🙁

    1. Lindsay

      Did you use fresh strawberries or frozen. Frozen ones will certainly contain more water. With frosting, it’s all about balancing the thickener (powdered sugar) with the thinner (in this cake, strawberry puree). I usually add just as much of the thinner as I need. Start small and then add as needed so it doesn’t thin out too much.

  9. Krista Strong

    This looks perfect for my daughter’s 4th birthday!If I want to bake this in two nine inch cake pans, how long do you think it may take? Thank you!

    1. Lindsay

      I know that when baked in three 8 inch pans, it’s 35-40 minutes. For two 9 inches, it’ll probably be a little longer. Just a heads up, it makes a fairly dense cake. It has to be kind of dense for the strawberries to not sink to the bottom.

      1. Krista Strong

        Just wanted to thank you for your response and follow up with my success story. Baked in two nine inch pans (done at 35 minutes). Made 1.5x the frosting so I had enough for layering and piping. It smelled amazing (yes, it was a moist, dense cake) and tasted even better. My daughter was thrilled with her ‘pinkaly’ cake. Thank you again for your help!

  10. Cher

    This is THE best strawberry buttercream recipe! I’ve used it for strawberry/white chocolate cupcakes and most recently to top homemade lemon cupcakes. Thanks for a great recipe!!

  11. Annalissa

    I wanted to make this as a cake for my sister’s birthday so I was wondering if it would work as a cake or if they have to be made as cupcakes.

    1. Kimberly Sharp

      This recipe is confusing if you are not a baker. You never said when to add the sugar & dry ingredients.

  12. Lyndz

    Hey! Thank u for the recipe ! I just made these for my nephews birthday. The party isn’t until Saturday which is 3 days from now. Do you think the cupcakes will still be ok by then? I didn’t make the icing since I am decorating them differently. They look and smell delicious however the recipe only made 20 cupcakes and they are very small. I’m just hoping the cupcakes last 3 days!!????

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29