Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes With Strawberry Frosting
A soft and moist fresh strawberry vanilla cupcake recipe topped with fluffy strawberry frosting, all made using fresh strawberries.
Ingredients
Strawberry Paste
- 200 g strawberries cleaned and halved
Soft Strawberry Cupcakes
- 160 g all-purpose flour plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs 55g each, room temperature
- 160 g caster sugar / superfine sugar see notes
- 135 g milk full fat
- 40 g unsalted butter cubed
- 25 g vegetable oil can use canola oil
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 2 drops red food gel optional
Frosting
- 1/2 batch strawberry buttercream
- strawberries to decorate, cleaned, dried and halved
Instructions
Strawberry Paste
- Just a note - if you’re pairing this with my strawberry frosting for these cupcakes, double the amount of strawberries you use to 400g. Cooking time might need to increase until you get to that thick jam consistency.
- Prepare strawberries - Clean your strawberries, then cut the tops off and slice in half.
- Puree strawberries - add the strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until completely smooth. No lumps!
- Cook strawberries - Pour the strawberry puree into a large non-stick saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes. It will thicken, turn deep red, and reduce from 200g to about 50g (quite a lot!). This step is important. If it doesn't reduce enough, the batter will be too thin and your cupcakes may turn out dense and rubbery. Let the paste cool to room temperature before using, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days and bring to room temp before using.
Soft Strawberry Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 150C/ 300F (fan off), 130C / 265F (fan on). I like baking with my fan off because the tops of the cupcakes bake flatter with no cracks. Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a cupcake tray with white cupcake liners.
- Combine dry ingredients - To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a hand whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the eggs for 1 minute until frothy. Slowly add the sugar while mixing, taking about 1 minute. Keep beating for another 6 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and tripled in size. A stand mixer with a whisk or paddle attachment also works.
- Add dry ingredients and strawberry puree to egg mixture - Add half the dry ingredients and the strawberry puree to the eggs. Mix on low until just combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix again. The batter will be thick. Don’t overmix, small lumps are fine.
- Heat milk and butter - Add the milk and butter to a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat until it reaches 60C / 140F or you see small bubbles on the edges. Don’t let it boil.
- Add hot milk - Add half of the hot milk, along with the oil, vanilla, and red food gel (if using). Mix on low speed until combined. Add the rest of the milk and mix again until smooth. The batter will be thin and flow in a thin ribbon when poured into the cake tins.
- To bake - Add the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them up just above 3/4 of the way. I use an ice cream scoop to do this but two spoons will work. Bake for 25 - 27 minutes or until the tops bounce back when pressed lightly. Once baked, take out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Frosting - While your cupcakes are cooling make your strawberry frosting. I have a really flavorful strawberry buttercream recipe on the blog you can use, otherwise my Ermine Frosting pairs really well with these cupcakes if you want a strawberries and cream experience.
- To Decorate - Fit the end of a piping bag with an open star tip. Frost a swirl of frosting on each cupcake and finish with half a strawberry.
Notes
Caster sugar - also known as superfine sugar is ideal for this cake as it dissolves into the eggs quickly which will prevent overmixing. Alternatively, you can use granulated sugar or even pulse granulated sugar in a food processor until it’s finer.
Red food gel - red food gel is optional for this cake and bumps up the strawberry color. It won’t make it look bright red. I tested this cake without the food gel and as pink as the batter looks before it’s baked, the cake comes out looking a little dull in color. Totally fine if you’re after a more natural look.
Mixing the batter - it’s important to follow the speeds given in the recipe when it comes to mixing. Especially after the flour is added as it prevents overmixing which can cause your cake to be tough. Make sure you scrape down the bowl after each mix to ensure any ingredients that are hiding at the bottom are properly mixed in. It’ll ensure a nice uniform batter that rises in the oven properly.
Why did my liner peel away from my cupcakes?
It happens mostly due to excess moisture, which happens if cupcakes cool in the tin instead of on a wire rack. The steam gets trapped, which loosens the liners. To prevent peeling, remove cupcakes from the tin immediately after baking and let them cool on a wire rack. Using high-quality liners also helps. I use the Confeta brand liners.
Storage - These cupcakes can be stored in a container with the lid slightly off, in the fridge for up to three days. Thaw to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition - is an approximate and is based on per cupcake without the frosting.
A note on measurements - this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales!
Nutrition
Calories:183kcal | Carbohydrates:31g | Protein:4g | Fat:5g | Saturated Fat:3g | Polyunsaturated Fat:0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat:1g | Trans Fat:0.1g | Cholesterol:48mg | Sodium:199mg | Potassium:84mg | Fiber:1g | Sugar:18g | Vitamin A:176IU | Vitamin C:12mg | Calcium:64mg | Iron:1mg
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