Forget the cake mix! Learn how to make moist and fresh Strawberry Cupcakes from scratch with a delicious fresh strawberry buttercream to die for! Just like the lovely flavor in my Strawberry Pound Cake recipe, my Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake, and my Strawberry Cheesecake, you will taste berry flavor in every single bite!
Strawberries are one of my all-time favorite fruits, and I love strawberry flavors in a moist and fluffy cake more than anything else. Like my strawberry pound cake, I can’t think of a better spring and summer time dessert that features one of the best fruits known to man than these strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES FROM SCRATCH
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh strawberries
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sour cream
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Strawberry extract
What makes this cake batter unique is by adding a strawberry puree to it, the cake is filled with natural strawberry flavor you would find in a strawberry cake mix but with no artificial flavors. Scoop your completed cake batter up with an ice cream scoop into cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Bake these babies for 17 to 21 minutes at 350° F.
WANT MOIST STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES?
The addition of a little bit of oil keeps these cupcakes completely moist and tender. The texture of the cake is also light, fluffy and tastes completely fresh.
Strawberry Buttercream
The buttercream is my favorite! This classic American buttercream has additional strawberry puree throughout but not too much. I like to make sure the puree is a bit chunkier for the buttercream because I LOVE having those tiny bits of strawberry in each bite. The end results of this strawberry buttercream frosting is smooth, rich and creamy from the traditional ingredients: butter and powdered sugar. It makes it even more delightful!
MORE FANTASTIC STRAWBERRY DESSERTS
If you like these amazing strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream, then you’ll love some of my other strawberry desserts.
- STRAWBERRY PUNCH BOWL CAKE
- STRAWBERRY MARGARITA PIE
- NO BAKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
- HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
Homemade Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/2 sticks
- 2 cups fresh whole strawberries pureed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
- 3-4 drops red food coloring optional
For the Buttercream:
- 3.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2 sticks
- 1/4 cup pureed fresh strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 12-well muffin pans with 20 to 24 cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the granulated sugar and butter and cream together on medium-high speed for about 6 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time to your stand mixer, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce your mixer speed to low and mix in the strawberry puree.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add 1/2 of the flour mixture to your stand mixer. Mix on the lowest speed until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and oil. Add to your stand mixer bowl.
- Add the remaining flour mixture to your stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Be careful not to overbeat.
- Add the vanilla and strawberry extracts and food coloring, if using. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Using an ice cream scoop (with trigger release) or a spoon, scoop the batter into the cupcake liners until each is 3/4 full. Be careful not to overfill.
- Bake for 17 to 21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean but still moist.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cupcakes with foil or plastic wrap so they do not dry out.
For the Buttercream:
- Clean your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Add the confectioners' sugar and butter and mix on low speed, increasing the speed to medium-high once the sugar is fully incorporated. Continue to mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the strawberry puree, strawberry extract, and salt and beat until the mixture is cotton-candy pink and the puree is fully incorporated.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe them with the buttercream (Here, I used a large star tip) and serve.
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Hi Jocelyn! I have some freeze dried strawberries in the pantry and was wondering how/if I could use them (after blitzing in the spice grinder) to replace strawberry extract.. hoping to avoid a trip to the store..
Yes definitely give it a try. It might be a nice solution.
I want to make these for Easter!! Can I omit the strawberry extract? I also have homemade strawberry jam left from my last batch and wondered if I could use that in the frosting or would it be too heavy. Also, could I use green food coloring to make the frosting look like grass without causing it harm!!
These were really good! The recipe was simple and resulted in moist cupcakes. I was, however, slightly disappointed by the flavor. I was hoping more strawberry would come through (and yes – I even used the extract!) It’s very subtle but they are still quite tasty! 🙂
Hello Miranda, I usually put about a half a cup of strained frozen strawberries (the ones in the tub not the bag). That will definitely bring out that strawberry flavor. Hope this helps!
These cupcakes are delicious! Can this recipe be used for a layer cake? I have someone who wants me to make a strawberry grooms cake. It would be a 10 inch with a 6 in on top.
Can’t wait to give these a try, they look amazing! So glad I found your site, absolutely refreshing!
Hooray!!
Do you measure the strawberries (the 2 cups) whole or do you measure 2 cups of puree?
Measure whole then puree
I’m planning on making these tonight for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow, but I can’t tell..do they come out looking pink? Or more of a grayish, if so, do I just add more of the food coloring?
This sounds delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
If you want them to be more pink, I would definitely add more food coloring since it is more on the natural pink looking side. Let me know how it turns out!
Can you make these a day ahead and frost the next day without them drying out?
YES! Just make sure you keep them tightly covered with plastic wrap leaving no holes for air. They should be fine that way.