These strawberry cupcakes are packed with real strawberry flavour in every bite, thanks to one simple trick.
Strawberry Cupcake Recipe Snapshot
What it is: Soft strawberry cupcakes filled with homemade strawberry filling and topped with strawberry buttercream.
Why it's different: One batch of strawberry reduction flavours the cupcakes, filling, and frosting for REAL strawberry flavour in every layer.
Before you begin: Make the strawberry reduction first and allow it to cool completely before using it in the recipe.
Strawberry cupcakes seem simple enough. Just add strawberries to a vanilla cupcake recipe, and you're done, right? Unfortunately, it isn't quite that easy.
The challenge is that strawberries contain a lot of water. If you add enough fresh strawberries to get a strong strawberry flavour, the extra moisture can make the cupcakes dense, gummy, or sink in the middle.
After a lot of testing and experimenting, I settled on my favourite way of adding strawberry flavour to baking: making a strawberry reduction. By cooking down the strawberries, you remove the excess water and concentrate the flavour, so you can get a strong strawberry flavour from real strawberries without compromising the structure and texture of the cake.
Even better, the reduction can be used in the cupcake batter, the frosting, and the filling, so there's real strawberry flavour in every layer.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Real strawberry flavour in every layer from one batch of concentrated strawberry reduction.
- Butter and oil work together for a buttery flavor with a moist crumb.
- A strawberry-filled centre adds extra flavour without making the sponge heavy.
- Russian buttercream provides a silky finish that complements the strawberries rather than overpowering them.
Ingredient Notes
These cupcakes start with a batch of strawberry reduction, which will bring all the natural strawberry flavor. Make this first and let it cool before beginning.
- Strawberries - To make the reduction, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries. I also like to have some fresh strawberries to add on top of the cupcakes as decoration.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter for both the cupcakes and the buttercream. Make sure it is fully at room temperature.
- Flour - Cake flour will give a finer, softer crumb, but all-purpose flour (plain flour) will also work well.
- Milk - It's best to use whole milk in baking, but other kinds of milk will still do the job.
- Oil - I use vegetable oil, but any neutral oil will work, e.g. canola oil, sunflower oil.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - This is what makes the Russian buttercream so silky - make sure to use condensed milk and not evaporated milk - the cans look similar!
See the recipe card for the full recipe and measurements in both cups and grams (though I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale).
Things You'll Need
- Cupcake Pan
- Saucepan
- Blender or Food Processor - to make the puree smooth.
- Cupcake corer - an apple corer or spoon will also do in a pinch
Tips From The Bakery
Before you start, here are some of the most important tips I picked up from years of making these cupcakes in the bakery:
- Cook the strawberry reduction down properly - Don't rush this step. The reduction provides most of the strawberry flavour, so it needs to be thick and concentrated.
- Core deeper than you think - A lot of bakers are too cautious when removing the centre, but a deeper cavity means more strawberry filling in every bite.
- Make sure the butter is completely room temperature - Especially for the buttercream. If the butter is too cold, it won't emulsify properly. If it's too warm, the frosting can split.
- Don't judge the flavor until after assembling - The cupcakes, frosting, and filling all come together to build a strong strawberry flavor.
How To Make Strawberry Cupcakes
There are three elements to this fresh strawberry cupcake recipe - the strawberry puree, the strawberry cupcakes, and the strawberry frosting. The puree will be used to flavor the cake and frosting, and it will also act as the strawberry filling.
Make the Strawberry Puree
The main ingredient in every element of these homemade strawberry cupcakes is the strawberry puree. It only has two ingredients and is incredibly simple to make. I use this Strawberry Puree recipe all the time in my bakes, so I have an entire post dedicated to it if you'd like more information on making it.
- Heat the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries start to break down.
- Mash the strawberries in the pan and continue to cook, reducing until the mixture is thick and jammy. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Pour the reduction into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Let it cool completely before using.
Make the Strawberry Cupcakes
The base of this Strawberry Cupcakes recipe is actually the same one I used for my go-to Vanilla Cupcakes. We will add the fresh strawberry puree to this for extra flavor.
Wet Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 335°F / 170°C and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, lightly mix together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients
In the separate bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and mix on a low speed using the paddle attachment.
Incorporate Butter
Gradually add the butter to the dry ingredients in small chunks, letting the butter incorporate for a few seconds in between additions.
The mixture should eventually look like chunky breadcrumbs.
Add the Puree
Add the oil and strawberry puree, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for exactly two minutes.
Make Batter
Scrape down the sides, then turn the mixer back on low and slowly drizzle in the egg mixture. Mix on low - just until combined and no more.
The batter will be a pretty pink color, but this will fade as the cupcakes bake. If you want pink strawberry cupcakes, you can add a few drops of gel food coloring now.
Bake
Divide the batter into the cupcake liners. I like to use an ice cream scoop to do this evenly. Bake for 18 minutes or until the cupcakes are slightly springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack immediately to cool.
Add Strawberry Filling
Once completely cooled, core out the middle of the cupcakes with a cupcake corer. Use a spoon or piping bag to fill the middle with strawberry puree.
Make Buttercream
Make your favorite buttercream according to the recipe. I used my easy Russian Buttercream, but these cupcakes would also go well with French Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Add the strawberry puree to your prepared buttercream (you can alter the amount depending on how intense you want the flavor to be), and whip for a further minute to incorporate.
Decorate
Pipe or spread your beautiful strawberry buttercream on top of the cupcakes and enjoy!
Pop a fresh strawberry on top to decorate.
Troubleshooting
Most strawberry cupcake issues come down to the moisture content. Here are the most common problems I see people have with this recipe and how to avoid them.
Dense Cupcakes
Most likely cause:
Too much moisture in the batter.
Fix:
Reduce the strawberry reduction down until it is thick and jammy.
Cupcakes Sank
Most likely cause:
Cupcakes underbaked or too wet.
Fix:
Bake until springy to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean.
Runny Filling
Most likely cause:
Reduction needs to be cooked further.
Fix:
Reduce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and draw a line in it.
Split Buttercream
Most likely cause:
Butter was too cold or the condensed milk was added too quickly.
Fix:
Add a tablespoon of hot water and whip on high. Or see my fixing buttercream guide.
Storage
Store your strawberry cupcakes in an airtight container lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. They will be good like this at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
For the best flavour and texture, take them out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving. The buttercream will be softer, and the strawberry flavour will be more pronounced once they've had a chance to come to room temperature.
Make Ahead
The strawberry reduction can be made up to 2 weeks in advance if stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
The strawberry cupcakes can be baked 1-2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
The Russian buttercream can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge (because of the strawberries in it).
You can also fully assemble the cupcakes a day in advance if needed. I often did this in the bakery when preparing for large orders.
More Strawberry Desserts
Looking for more inspiration for using all those delicious strawberries?
Strawberry Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 700 g (24 oz) Strawberries fresh or frozen
- 125 g (1¼ cup) Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 180 ml (¾ cup) Whole Milk
- 80 ml (¼ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 3 Large Eggs
- 312 g (2¾ cups) Cake Flour
- 350 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
- 1 ½ tablespoon (1½ tablespoon) Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 227 g (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 175 g (¾ cup) Strawberry Puree as made above
- 454 g (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 790 g (14 oz) Condensed Milk
- 175 g (¾ cup) Strawberry Puree to taste
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Place the strawberries and sugar in a high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat. If your strawberries are fresh rather than frozen, add a splash of water to the pan too.700 g (24 oz) Strawberries, 125 g (1¼ cup) Granulated Sugar
- Stir occasionally while the strawberries break down and the sugar dissolves. You can use a potato masher to help the strawberries along if you like.
- Let the strawberry mixture boil until it thickens and looks slightly gelatinous.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.
- If you want super smooth strawberry coulis with no bits of fibre, pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve. If you'd like some small chunks of strawberry, then you can leave it as is.
- Cover in plastic wrap and let cool completely before using.
- I have a full recipe post about how to make strawberry puree if you'd like more details.
- Preheat oven to 335°F / 170°C and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Mix the milk with the eggs and vanilla. Whisk together lightly and set aside.180 ml (¾ cup) Whole Milk, 3 Large Eggs, 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of your mixer and turn on low with your paddle attachment.312 g (2¾ cups) Cake Flour, 1 ½ tbsp (1½ tablespoon) Baking Powder, ½ tsp Salt, 350 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar
- Slowly add the butter, one small chunk at a time. Once it's all in, it should look kind of like chunky breadcrumbs.227 g (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- Add the oil and strawberry puree and slowly turn your mixer up to a medium speed. Beat for exactly two minutes.80 ml (¼ cup) Vegetable Oil, 175 g (¾ cup) Strawberry Puree
- Scrape the sides of your bowl to make sure there are no lumps, then turn the mixer back on low.
- Add the milk/egg mixture slowly and mix on low until just combined.
- Divide the batter into your cupcake liners and bake for 18 minutes or until slightly springy to the touch.
- Let sit for five minutes in the muffin pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Whip room temperature butter on high speed for 5 full minutes.454 g (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- Turn the mixer down to medium speed and slowly drizzle in the condensed milk as it mixes.790 g (14 oz) Condensed Milk
- Once all the condensed milk is added, turn the mixer up to high speed for 1 minute. The frosting should be thick and glossy.180 ml (¾ cup) Whole Milk
- Add vanilla and strawberry puree and whip for another minute.175 g (¾ cup) Strawberry Puree, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- For more in depth info about this frosting - read my Russian Buttercream recipe post.
- Once cupcakes have completely cooled, use a cupcake corer or spoon to core out the middle of the cupcakes.
- Fill each cupcake with 1 teaspoon of strawberry coulis. You can either put the 'tops' back in the middle or just eat them - it doesn't make a difference.
- Frost the cupcakes with the strawberry buttercream - you can pipe the frosting on or spread it on with a palette knife.
Teri says
Can the unfrosted cupcakes freeze well?
Jules Grasekamp says
Hi Teri,
Yes you can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months - just make sure they are airtight to stop them from drying out. Then let them come back to room temperature before frosting.
Jules
Lynda says
What do we do with the milk? You dont say.
Jules Grasekamp says
Hi Lynda,
The milk is mixed in with the eggs and vanilla in step 2 of the 'making the cupcakes' section.
Hope this helps!
Jules
lynda says
I must have read this recipe 5x and never saw the milk! Thanks for pointing it out.
Jules Grasekamp says
No worries at all! Hope you enjoy the cupcakes 🙂
Jules
Mike says
Thank you so much for your recipes, they're delicious! I was wondering if you weigh or measure your ingredients. There are small discrepancies in the measurements vs weights for the ingredients. For example cake flour in the States generally weights 4 oz (113 g) per cup or 283 grams but you list 312 g. I'm assuming you weigh the ingredients and so use the weights you list which I usually do when I bake. Thanks again!
Mike says
Ok, now that I read the WHOLE post, I see that you do weigh the ingredients! I'll continue to use the weights rather than volumes.
Jules Grasekamp says
Hi Mike,
You're absolutely right, thank you for noticing this! Yes I weigh the ingredients so 312g is correct - which should actually be 2 3/4 cups of cake flour, not 2 1/2. I have now updated this in the recipe. Thank you!!
Jules
Tawnya says
Hi, could you make these sugar free?
Jules says
Hi Tawnya, You could in theory replace the sugar with some kind of sugar substitute like stevia, but i haven't tested the recipe this way so I can't say with confidence how it would taste. If you try it, do let me know how it turns out 🙂
Kay says
such beauty
such grace
I would put these in my face
Lewis Dickson says
Can't wait to try making these!