The Recipe Critic

Strawberry Cupcakes

May 23, 2021

Strawberry Cupcakes are made with fresh and freeze-dried strawberries to create an incredible burst of flavor. Pretty and pink, these cupcakes are sure to be the perfect treat!

Bright, sweet, and spilling over with the taste of summer, strawberries are a berry worth baking with. Try Muffins, Bread, and Salad to see what I mean about this incredible berry!

Strawberry cupcakes on a platter with frosting and strawberries on top.

Decadent Strawberry Cupcakes

These decadent strawberry cupcakes begin with a light fluffy batter that raises up beautifully in the oven. With a hint of vanilla and the indulgent moisture and tang from the sour cream these strawberry cupcakes by themselves are hard to beat. Then we add the strawberries. Fresh, luscious, plump, ripe, red, berries. If that wasn’t enough I added an extra punch of flavor by adding freeze-dried berries that have been ground to a fine powder. Talk about WOW!

If you have not tried freeze-dried strawberries, this is the time to try them. They take take ripe, full flavored strawberries and freeze dry them so they are concentrated in taste with a crispy light melt in your mouth texture. These strawberry cupcakes are addicting. Adding them to the cupcakes is a stroke of genius really. It gives you so much more strawberry flavor than you could ever imagine without adding bulk, or moisture. These are perfect in every way!

What You Need For Strawberry Cupcakes

Light and fluffy and pretty in pink these strawberry cupcakes are absolutely heavenly. They are light and fluffy with all the flavor!

  • Flour: All-purpose or unbleached flour will work perfectly.
  • Salt: Adds balance to the cupcakes
  • Baking powder: Provides the rising agent.
  • Baking soda: Also helps the cupcakes be light and fluffy.
  • Unsalted Butter: At room temperature or softened.
  • Granulated sugar: Adds the sweetness
  • Egg: Room temperature
  • Vanilla extract: Beautiful flavor
  • Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang that is awesome.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries blended into powder: Instesnifies the strawberry flavor without adding moisture.
  • Fresh strawberries diced: Dice up small for easier mixing and eating.

Strawberry Frosting Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter: softened or room temperature
  • Powdered sugar: Always a good choice for incredible frosting.
  • Pinch of salt: Just to balance the sweet.
  • Heavy cream: Do not use low fat.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries blended to powder: Adds a sweet-tart punch of flavor.
  • Fresh strawberries for topping: Chopped, or diced.

How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes

The secret ingredient of freeze dried strawberries gives in intense strawberry flavor you are going to love. The color and strawberry flavor is out of this world!

  1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
  2. Dry Ingredients: Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
  3. Cream: In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
  4. Mix: Add the egg, vanilla, and sour cream and mix until combined.
  5. Freeze-dried strawberries: The freeze-dried strawberries can be crushed to powder using a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can put them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them as fine as possible. Fold them into the batter.
  6. Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Fold in the fresh strawberries by hand. The batter will be quite thick!
  7. Fill: Using a large cookie scoop or two large spoons, fill 12 cups just over ¾ full of batter.
  8. Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick, comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Yummy Strawberry Frosting

These are decadent and delicious! You are going to love how easy this frosting is to make and top it off with a sliced strawberry to make the best cupcakes ever!

  1. Cream: Beat butter by itself on medium until light and fluffy.
  2. Mix: Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low until combined. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting begins to get creamy and not too stiff.
  3. More Flavor: Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder to the frosting and mix until smooth.
  4. Pipe: Use a large star tip in a pastry bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Cut the fresh strawberries in half lengthwise and top each cupcake with half a strawberry.
Mixing the freeze-dried and fresh strawberries in to the batter and filling the cupcake mold.

The Best Strawberry Cupcake Tips

These strawberry cupcakes are perfect for a party, shower or brunch. The bright pink is the prettiest and draws the crowd in, the taste will make them inhale these delicate cupcakes.

  • Sift: Sifting the dry ingredients together is important. This takes out any clumps and will allow the batter to be smooth and thoroughly mixed.
  • Room Temperature Dairy: Eggs, butter, sour cream, all should be at room temperature before adding to the mix. Many are tempted to skip this because of time, don’t. Room temperature ingredients make sure the batter is smooth and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. The result is a light, fluffy, ideal cupcake.
  • Strawberries: Use the ripest, reddest, most sweet-tasting strawberries you can find. Dice the strawberries up into small pieces so they disperse evenly in the batter and you’ll also end up with strawberries in every bite.
  • Freeze-Dried: Use a blender, coffee grinder, or a ziplock bag and a rolling pin to grind the strawberries into a fine powder. This adds flavor and color to the cupcakes.
  • Frosting: If you do not have a pastry bag or piping tip, use a knife to spread the frosting on, or fill a ziplock bag and snip the tip-off one corner of the bat, to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes.
  • Cool: Before frosting make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled. Add the sliced strawberries right before serving to keep them from drying out.
  • More Pink: If you need more pink color, add a few drops of red food coloring to git it to the color you desire.
A strawberry cupcake with swirled frosting and a strawberry on top.

Storing Strawberry Cupcakes

These strawberry cupcakes are best served the day they are made. They will have the best taste and texture then.

  • Storing: Store cupcakes at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The trickiest part is to not smash the frosting. If you have a cupcake Tupperware saver it is much easier. If you do not I use toothpicks to help keep the plastic wrap from smooshing the yummy frosting. Remove any fresh strawberries from the top before storing them.
  • Frozen: Unfrosted strawberry cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and then place in a large freezer-safe sealable bag. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature and frost as desired.
  • Frosting: The frosting can be made ahead of time up to 2 days. Store tightly sealed in the fridge.
A bite from a cupcake.

More Sweet Strawberry Recipes to Love

Strawberries are a favorite around here. It is hard to keep them around long enough to add to anything because they get gobbled up so fast. Not complaining though. Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and nutrients. They make a perfect snack, sweet dessert, or a great addition to the main course. If by chance you do need a way to use up your sweet luscious berries, give these tried and true a try.

Print

Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes are made with fresh and freeze-dried strawberries to create an incredible burst of flavor. Pretty and pink, these cupcakes are sure to be the perfect treat!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pink cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 Cupcakes
Calories 442kcal
Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup freeze dried strawberries blended into powder
  • ¾ cup fresh strawberries diced

Frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 3 Tablespoons freeze dried strawberries blended to powder
  • Fresh strawberries for topping

Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
  • In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
  • Add the egg, vanilla, and sour cream and mix until combined.
  • The freeze dried strawberries can be crushed to powder using a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can put them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them as fine as possible. Fold them into the batter.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Fold in the fresh strawberries by hand. The batter will be quite thick!
  • Using a large cookie scoop or two large spoons, fill 12 cups just over ¾ full of batter.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

  • Beat butter by itself on medium until light and fluffy.
  • Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low until combined. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting begins to get creamy and not too stiff.
  • Add the freeze dried strawberry powder to the frosting and mix until smooth.
  • Use a large star tip in a pastry bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Cut the fresh strawberries in half length wise and top each cupcake with half a strawberry.

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 642IU | Vitamin C: 171mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 4mg

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