Indulge in Summer Bliss: The Ultimate Recipe for Moist and Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
These Moist and Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes are an absolute dream for summer gatherings and celebrations! Crafted from scratch using an abundance of ripe, fresh strawberries and crowned with a luscious homemade strawberry buttercream frosting, they promise a delightful experience. Light, incredibly fluffy, and bursting with natural strawberry flavor, these delicious cupcakes are guaranteed to be the star of any spring or summer party, bringing smiles with every bite.
Summer is officially in full swing, which means it’s prime time for fresh berry season! And what better way to celebrate the vibrant sweetness of strawberries than by transforming them into the most delightful homemade strawberry cupcakes? Forget artificial flavors – this recipe heroes the natural goodness of real strawberries, baked right into a tender, fluffy batter.
If you’re looking for the perfect summer dessert, these moist strawberry cupcakes are your answer. Beyond this fantastic recipe, my collection offers other berry-inspired treats like strawberry lemon cupcakes, classic lemon cupcakes, and decadent strawberry filled cupcakes. No matter your preference, you’re all set for a season full of delicious, from-scratch baking!
What truly sets these fresh strawberry cupcakes apart is their pure, unadulterated flavor. They are crafted with simple, everyday baking ingredients, but the secret lies in the inclusion of luscious pureed strawberries directly within the batter. This not only imparts a naturally sweet and fresh strawberry flavor but also blesses each cupcake with a beautiful, delicate pink hue that’s entirely natural. You won’t find any artificial colors here, just the wholesome beauty of real fruit.
And the grand finale? Each of these delicious cupcakes is lavishly topped with a homemade strawberry buttercream frosting. This creamy, dreamy frosting is surprisingly easy to make with just a few core ingredients. It strikes the perfect balance of sweet, subtly tangy, and incredibly smooth, creating an irresistible topping that complements the strawberry cake perfectly. As I learned in pastry school, exploring flavors is key, and strawberry is a timeless winner that consistently brings joy!
Why You’ll Love Making These Homemade Strawberry Cupcakes
This isn’t just another cupcake recipe; it’s an invitation to create something truly special and delicious. Here are several compelling reasons why these moist strawberry cupcakes deserve a spot on your baking list:
- Celebrate Berry Season: It’s the absolute best way to utilize those vibrant, local strawberries when they’re at their peak ripeness and flavor. Fresh, seasonal produce always yields the best results in baking, and these cupcakes are a testament to that. You’ll taste the difference!
- Versatile Frosting Options: While our homemade strawberry buttercream is heavenly, these cupcakes are also fabulous when topped with a tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting. Feel free to customize to your preference or even offer both!
- Simple Ingredients, Incredible Taste: Despite their impressive flavor, these cupcakes use common baking ingredients that are readily available in most pantries. The assembly process is straightforward, making this an accessible recipe for bakers of all skill levels.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Their beautiful pink color and fresh fruit flavor make them ideal for birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, picnics, barbecues, or simply as a delightful weekend treat. They add a touch of elegance and whimsy to any table.
- Naturally Beautiful: The pureed strawberries naturally tint the batter a lovely light pink, eliminating the need for artificial food coloring. This gives your cupcakes an authentic, appealing look that reflects their natural deliciousness.
- Irresistibly Moist and Fluffy: Thanks to the buttermilk and fresh fruit, these cupcakes boast an incredibly tender crumb and stay moist for days, ensuring every bite is as soft and flavorful as the first.
Essential Ingredients for the Best Strawberry Cupcakes
Crafting these delectable strawberry cupcakes requires a careful selection of ingredients, each playing a vital role in achieving their signature moist texture and vibrant flavor. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why:
- Fresh Strawberries: The star of our show! Using fresh, ripe strawberries is non-negotiable for achieving that authentic, sweet, and slightly tart flavor. Pureed directly into the batter, they infuse the cupcakes with natural sweetness, a beautiful light pink color, and undeniable fruity goodness.
- Buttermilk: This acidic dairy product is crucial for creating an incredibly light and fluffy texture. When buttermilk interacts with the baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide, which helps the cupcakes rise beautifully and contributes to their tender crumb. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Good quality butter is essential for a rich, buttery flavor and contributes significantly to the cupcakes’ moisture. Always use unsalted butter to control the overall salt content in your baking. Ensure it’s at room temperature for proper creaming.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides the primary sweetness for the cupcake base and works with the butter to create a light, airy foundation when creamed together.
- Egg & Egg Whites: The whole egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together and adding richness. The addition of extra egg whites contributes to a lighter, more delicate crumb structure, ensuring the cupcakes aren’t too dense. Remember to have them at room temperature for optimal emulsification.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These are your essential leavening agents. Baking powder provides the initial lift, while baking soda reacts with the buttermilk’s acidity to create additional rise and a tender texture. Using both ensures a perfectly risen, airy cupcake.
- Strawberry Extract: While fresh strawberries provide much of the flavor, a touch of strawberry extract enhances and brightens that natural strawberry essence, ensuring it truly shines through after baking. If you prefer, vanilla extract can be used for a classic twist, but for intense strawberry flavor, the extract is key.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of the cupcakes. It binds all the ingredients and provides the necessary framework. Proper measuring is vital to avoid dense or dry cupcakes.
- Salt (Kosher recommended): A pinch of salt might seem small, but it’s mighty. It activates the leavening agents, enhances all the other flavors, and importantly, balances the sweetness of the sugar and strawberries, preventing the cupcakes from tasting one-dimensional.
How to Make Moist and Fluffy Strawberry Cupcakes From Scratch
Baking these delightful fresh strawberry cupcakes is a rewarding process, and with these step-by-step instructions, you’ll achieve perfect results every time. Follow along carefully to create light, fluffy, and incredibly moist strawberry treats.
- Prepare the Strawberries and Buttermilk: Begin by combining your fresh, hulled strawberries and the buttermilk in a blender. Blend until you achieve a smooth, vibrant puree. This step is crucial for infusing every bite with natural strawberry flavor and color. Set this mixture aside.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Muffin Tin: Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C). This ensures your oven is at the correct temperature when the batter is ready, promoting an even rise. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or two, as this recipe makes 18 cupcakes) with paper or foil cupcake liners. Setting this up beforehand makes the baking process much smoother.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), add the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar. Cream them together on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step incorporates air, which is vital for a tender cupcake texture.
- Incorporate Eggs and Extract: Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add the whole egg and then the egg whites, one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next. This prevents the batter from curdling. Next, pour in the strawberry extract (or vanilla extract if substituting) and mix on medium speed for another 30 seconds until everything is well combined and fragrant.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix these dry ingredients together. This ensures the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, preventing pockets of unmixed ingredients in your final cupcakes.
- Assemble the Cupcake Batter: This step requires a gentle hand to prevent overmixing. Alternate adding the dry ingredients (in three equal batches) with the buttermilk and strawberry puree mixture (in two equal batches). Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed *just until* the ingredients are combined. Overmixing the batter can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough, dense cupcakes. Mix for approximately 30 seconds after the last addition, ensuring no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop and Bake: Using an ice cream scoop or a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full. This allows enough space for the cupcakes to rise without overflowing. Bake for 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Avoid opening the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking, as this can cause cupcakes to sink.
- Cool and Frost: Once baked, remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. It’s crucial that they are entirely cool before frosting. Once cooled, prepare your homemade strawberry buttercream frosting. Use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the frosting artistically. For an extra touch of elegance and flavor, garnish with some crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
Decorating Your Perfect Strawberry Cupcakes
The beauty of these fresh strawberry cupcakes isn’t just in their taste, but also in their presentation. After allowing your cupcakes to cool completely, it’s time for the fun part: decorating! I personally love to use a large star tip and sturdy piping bags to create elegant swirls of frosting. The star tip creates beautiful ridges that give the cupcakes a professional, bakery-style look. Once frosted, I highly recommend garnishing each one with a sprinkle of crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Not only do they add a lovely pop of color and a rustic texture, but they also intensify the natural strawberry flavor, making each bite even more delightful. You can also add a fresh strawberry slice or a small mint leaf for an extra touch of freshness.
Pro Tips for Baking Success with Strawberry Cupcakes
Achieving bakery-quality moist strawberry cupcakes from scratch is easier than you think, especially with these insider tips:
- Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: This cannot be stressed enough! Ensure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you even begin mixing. Room temperature ingredients emulsify much more easily, resulting in a smooth, consistent, and well-aerated batter. This leads to lighter, more tender cupcakes. If you’re short on time, learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Measure Flour Accurately: Baking is a science, and precise measurements matter. When measuring flour, always spoon it into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing, then level it off with the back of a straight knife. Do NOT scoop directly from the container, as this compacts the flour and can add up to 25% too much, leading to dry, dense cupcakes.
- Avoid Overmixing the Batter: This is a common pitfall. Once you start adding the dry ingredients, mix the batter *just until* everything is combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, making your cupcakes tough and chewy instead of light and fluffy. A few small lumps are perfectly fine.
- Test for Doneness Properly: Cupcakes are typically done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If it comes out wet with raw batter, bake for a few more minutes. Be careful not to overbake, as this will dry them out.
- Fill Cupcake Liners Correctly: For beautifully domed, tall cupcakes, aim to fill your cupcake liners no more than ⅔ to ¾ of the way full. Overfilling can cause them to overflow or create an uneven muffin top. A reliable ice cream scoop makes this process easy and consistent.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Patience is a virtue when it comes to frosting! If you try to frost warm cupcakes, your delicious buttercream will melt and slide right off, creating a mess. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature before you even think about applying that beautiful frosting.
Storage and Freezing Instructions for Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
To keep your moist and fresh strawberry cupcakes delicious for as long as possible, proper storage is essential. Here’s how to store them, frosted or unfrosted, and how to freeze them for future enjoyment:
Storing Unfrosted Cupcakes: If you plan to frost them later, unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days. For extended freshness, you can also store them in the fridge for up to one week. Ensure they are completely cool before storing to prevent condensation.
Storing Frosted Cupcakes: Once frosted with strawberry buttercream or cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The frosting helps keep them moist, and refrigeration is necessary due to the dairy in the frosting. They will last for up to one week in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature for about 15-30 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
Freezing Cupcakes: These strawberry cupcakes freeze beautifully, allowing you to enjoy them long after berry season has passed. You can freeze them for up to two months.
- Unfrosted: Place completely cooled, unfrosted cupcakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for about 30 minutes until firm. This prevents them from sticking together. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or container, removing as much air as possible.
- Frosted: If you want to freeze them already frosted, flash freeze the frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours until the frosting is solid. This prevents the frosting from smudging. Then, carefully place them into a freezer-safe container with a lid, making sure they don’t touch each other too much. Freeze for up to two months.
Thawing Frozen Cupcakes: To enjoy your frozen cupcakes, transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight. Once thawed, you can let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor. This slow thawing process helps maintain their moisture.
Yield
This fantastic recipe is designed to yield 18 perfectly sized, delicious strawberry cupcakes. It’s a generous batch, great for parties or sharing! If you need more, you can easily double the recipe to make 36 cupcakes. Conversely, if you’re baking for a smaller crowd, feel free to halve the recipe to make a cozy batch of 9. Adjusting the recipe is straightforward and won’t compromise the quality of these moist and fresh treats.
Recipe FAQ: Your Strawberry Cupcake Questions Answered
Got questions about making these amazing strawberry cupcakes? We’ve got answers to some of the most common queries:
- Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh? While I haven’t personally tested this recipe with frozen strawberries, it generally should work! If using frozen, thaw them completely first and drain any excess liquid to prevent diluting the batter. You might want to pat them dry lightly before pureeing. The flavor might be slightly less intense than peak-season fresh berries, but they will still be delicious.
- Why are my cupcakes sinking in the middle? Cupcakes can sink for a few common reasons. The most frequent culprits include opening the oven door too early during baking (especially in the first two-thirds of the baking time), overmixing your batter (which incorporates too much air that then collapses), or an oven temperature that’s too hot, causing the cupcakes to rise too quickly and then fall. Ensure your oven thermometer is accurate and follow the mixing instructions carefully.
- Can I frost these strawberry cupcakes with a different frosting? Absolutely! While the homemade strawberry buttercream is a perfect pairing, these versatile cupcakes taste fantastic with other frostings too. Don’t hesitate to experiment! You could try my zesty lemon buttercream frosting for a bright, citrusy contrast, or even a rich chocolate buttercream frosting for a classic chocolate-strawberry combination. A simple vanilla buttercream or even a whipped cream topping would also be lovely.
- How can I ensure my cupcakes are super moist? Several factors contribute to moist cupcakes in this recipe: using buttermilk, not overmixing the batter, and not overbaking. Ensure all your dairy and eggs are at room temperature, and measure your flour correctly to avoid a dry result.
- What if I don’t have strawberry extract? If you don’t have strawberry extract, you can substitute it with an equal amount of pure vanilla extract. While it won’t intensify the strawberry flavor as much, vanilla is a classic complement to strawberries and will still yield delicious results. You can also try adding a tiny pinch of lemon zest to brighten the strawberry flavor without adding extract.
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes to Try
If you’ve fallen in love with these moist strawberry cupcakes and are eager to explore more delightful baking, you’re in luck! My kitchen is always busy creating new and exciting cupcake flavors. Whether you’re craving more fruity delights, rich chocolatey treats, or zesty citrus sensations, there’s a cupcake recipe waiting for you to discover and enjoy. Don’t forget to check out some of my other popular cupcake recipes for every occasion!
Moist and Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- 173 Grams large strawberries, (1 cup) About 11 small to medium strawberries
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 10 tbsp butter, (130g)
- 1 ¼ cup sugar, (250g)
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- ½ tsp strawberry extract, (can sub vanilla)
- 2 cups all purpose flour, (240g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
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In a small or regular sized blender puree the strawberries and buttermilk together and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
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In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the 10 tbsp butter, and 1 ¼ cup sugar and cream together for 1 minute.
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Scrape down the sides and with the mixer on low, add the egg and whites one at a time. Next add in the strawberry extract and mix on medium for 30 seconds.
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Combine the 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp kosher in a medium sized bowl.
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Alternate adding the dry ingredients ⅓ rd at a time with ½ the buttermilk and strawberry mixture beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix for another 30 seconds to combine.
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Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tin filling ¾ of the way full. Bake for 19 minutes.
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Cool and frost with strawberry buttercream frosting orstrawberry cream cheese frosting.
Notes
Use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to measure out the cupcake batter evenly.