Strawberry Cupcakes

These pretty in pink Strawberry Cupcakes are adorned with a tangy and delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. They are packed full of strawberry flavor from both fresh and freeze dried strawberry, without any artificial flavor nor food coloring added.

I remember my first time making strawberry cupcakes years ago before I even knew freeze dried strawberry existed. I used a strawberry flavoring that ended up giving the cupcakes a pretty nasty after taste. Let’s just say I know better now, and I’m not going to lead you down the wrong path with these beauties. These cupcakes are all natural, in both flavor and color!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• So much strawberry flavor – The strawberry cupcake batter gets packed with both fresh and freeze dried strawberries, while the frosting gets the flavor, the color and the tang from just freeze dried strawberries. And the results are truly one of a kind!
• Great for sharing – Cupcakes are easy to share and these are just perfect for birthdays and baby showers!
• Natural flavor and color – Thanks to our secret ingredient – freeze dried strawberries – these pink beauties do not contain any artificial flavoring or food coloring. I’m entirely obsessed with freeze dried strawberry. As they say, the proof is in the truffles and the cookies.

Tools you’ll need

• A food processor to grind the freeze-dried strawberries into powder.
• A stand mixer or an electric hand mixer will be useful for making the frosting. While the cupcake batter can be made by hand easily, beating the cream cheese frosting by hand is somewhat labor intensive, not impossible, but attempt only if you need a really good arm workout.
• A standard size muffin pan to bake the strawberry cupcakes in.
• A pastry bag with piping tips for decorating the cupcakes.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:

1. Freeze-dried strawberries – You’ll need one 1 oz bag of freeze-dried strawberries for this strawberry cupcake recipe. You’ll use half in the batter and half in the frosting. I usually get mine at Target. To save a step, you can get freeze-dried strawberry powder online. But if you can only find sliced freeze-dried strawberries, you can simply pulverize them into a powder using a food processor or a good blender.

2. Fresh strawberries – You’ll use pureed fresh strawberries in the cupcake batter for additional strawberry flavor. The recipe specifies half a cup of puree, this means you need to blend the fresh strawberries into puree first and then measure half a cup. Frozen strawberries will also work if you’re making these out of season.

3. Buttermilk – Typical store bought reduced fat buttermilk should work or make your own buttermilk by adding lemon juice, yogurt, or sour cream to regular milk. Or simply substitute buttermilk with 100% yogurt or sour cream if you don’t have any regular milk. The acidity in buttermilk will tenderize the gluten in the flour resulting in softer crumbs. It also reacts with baking soda in the batter to help these cupcakes rise.

4. Oil – Use here to keep these strawberry cupcakes ultra moist. Since we want the flavor of the strawberry to shine, I recommend using a flavorless oil like vegetable or canola oil.

5. Egg – 1 large egg is used to bind everything together.

6. Sugar – Granulated sugar is used in these cupcakes to add sweetness. You can substitute brown sugar or other type of sugar in the same amount.

7. Flour – All purpose flour is just fine for this strawberry cupcakes recipe, but you can also use cake flour for even softer crumbs. And if you need to make a gluten free version, try an all purpose gluten free flour.

8. Leavening agents – I usually use both baking soda and baking powder in recipes that have an acidic ingredients like buttermilk. Baking soda will react with the buttermilk to provide lift while baking powder will activate in the hot oven.

9. Salt – I use kosher salt, just a small amount will enhance the flavors and add complexity to the cake. If you only have table salt, use half to two thirds as much.

10. Vanilla – Use only pure vanilla extract to add more flavor, warmth and complexity on top of the strawberry flavor.

11. One batch of strawberry cream cheese frosting which includes full fat brick cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract.

How to make strawberry cupcakes from scratch

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the cupcakes

First step, you’ll need to pulverize the freeze dried strawberry into a powder using a food processor or a good blender. I usually drape a kitchen tower over the food processor so the powder doesn’t puff up everywhere. Once done, let it settle for a bit before opening the lid.

Note: You’ll use half of the strawberry powder in the cake batter and half in the frosting.

Mix half of the strawberry powder together with flour, sugar and the rest of the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl, stir to ensure even distribution. Set this aside.

Once you transfer the rest of the strawberry powder to a bowl or container, reserved for the frosting, you can use the same food processor to puree the fresh strawberries needed for the cupcake batter.

Tip: No need to wash the food processor for this step.

The strawberry puree gets mixed with the rest of the wet ingredient to make a pretty pink liquid mixture. Simply mix the wet ingredients by hand with a whisk in a mixing bowl.

Now add the flour mixture prepared earlier into the liquid mixture and fold with a spatula until the batter is just combined.

Tip: You could very well use an electric mixer to make the cupcake batter. But it’s quite easily done by hand.

Divide the batter into lined cupcake pan using a large ice cream/cookie scoop (about 2 oz). Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, perhaps with just a few crumbs attached.

Tip: I love using cookie scoop for cupcake batter, it makes the process quick and clean, a whole lot less drips. It’s an extremely cheap investment that you’ll end up using over and over again for all kind of cupcakes and cookies.

Make the strawberry frosting

Beat together softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla until combined. Then add powdered sugar and strawberry powder. Mix at low speed to incorporate and then beat at higher speed until all ingredients are thoroughly combined to yield a fluffy frosting.

Decorate your strawberry cupcakes

For these cupcakes, I used an open star piping tip inside a pastry bag. Hold the bag straight up above the cupcake and push out a dollop of frosting and let go. Repeat the process to add frosting, one dollop at a time, in a circle on top of the cupcake, about 5 – 6 dollops, finish with one in the middle for the first layer.

Then add the second layer the same way but in between the outer circle and the center. The second layer will be a smaller circle, maybe about 3 – 4 dollops. Then add one last one at the top to finish. Garnish with white sugar pearls for a girly touch.

More baker’s tips

• Room temperature ingredients – All refrigerated ingredients should be allow to come to room temperature before mixing together. This will help them blend better. Butter for the frosting should not be too warm that it is almost melted, this would make the frosting runny.
• Use a measuring cup instead – If you don’t have a large cookie scoop, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to divide the cupcake batter.
• Cool them first – Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them.
• Simple frosting method – If you don’t have a pastry bag with piping tips to decorate your cupcakes, simply spread frosting on top using an offset spatula or a butter knife.

Storage

You can keep strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will last up to a week. But it is best to enjoy them within 3 days for the best flavor and texture. In the freezer, they will last up to 3 months.

For the freezer, you want to flash freeze the frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet until they are frozen solid. Next, you can wrap them up in plastic and foil, this will protect them from freezer burn and freezer smell. Then store them in a container or freezer bag.

Let cold or frozen cupcakes come to room temperature before serving.

FAQs

More fruity cupcakes

• Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Lemonade Strawberry Cupcakes
• Pina Colada Cupcakes
• Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes
• Banana Split Cupcakes

4.78 from 9 votes

Strawberry Cupcakes

By Trang Doan

These Very Strawberry Cupcakes are adorned with a tangy and delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. They are packed full of strawberry flavor from both fresh and freeze dried strawberry, without any artificial flavor nor food coloring added.

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 17 minutes mins

Total Time: 42 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Food Processor
• Stand Mixer
• Standard Size Muffin Pan

Ingredients 

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Cupcakes

• ▢ ¼ cup freeze dried strawberry powder, ½ oz, 14 g
• ▢ 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 200 g
• ▢ ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 133 g
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ cup pureed strawberry, 4 oz, 113 g
• ▢ ⅓ cup buttermilk, room temperature, 74 g
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil, 50 g
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature, 227 g
• ▢ 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, 227 g
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup powder sugar, 100 g
• ▢ ¼ cup freeze dried strawberry powder, ½ oz, 14 g

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Instructions 

Prepare the strawberry powder

• Add 1 oz of freeze dried strawberry to a food processor and process until a powder forms. Keep a kitchen towel draped over the food processor while it’s working to prevent the strawberry powder to escape and fly everywhere.
• This should yield ½ cup. Use ¼ cup for the cupcake batter and the remaining ¼ cup for the strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Make the cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
• Add ¼ cup of strawberry powder to a small mixing bowl along with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix with a whisk to distribute evenly. Set aside.
• In the same food processor used previously for the freeze dried strawberry, add the fresh strawberry and puree. Add strawberry puree in a medium mixing bowl along with buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat together with a whisk until smooth.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and fold until just combined.
• Use a large ice cream scoop to divide batter into the previously prepared muffin pan. One flat scoop of batter for each cupcake cavity, or about 1/4 cup of batter each.
• Bake in the middle oven rack for 16 – 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to the touch, remove cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting

• Allow the cream cheese and butter to come to room temperature and softened before you get started. It can speed up the process to cut them into small cubes.
• In the stand mixer bowl, add softened butter and cream cheese along with the pure vanilla extract, mix with the whisk attachment at medium low speed and gradually increase speed to medium high and beat until thoroughly combined.
• Stop the mixer to add powder sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of strawberry powder, mix at low speed to incorporate the powder mixture into the cream mixture, then gradually increase speed to medium high and beat until thoroughly combined and fluffy.
• Add a piping tip of your choice to a pastry bag, fill with the frosting and add frosting to the cooled cupcakes.

Notes

• 1 package of freeze dried strawberry I buy from Target is typically 1 oz.
• These cupcakes are best enjoyed the day they are made, but they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.
• Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight, then add frosting in the morning, if desired. Frosted cupcakes should be refrigerated if not eaten right away.

Nutrition

Serving: 95g, Calories: 342kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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