Some pink strawberry cupcakes were in order for Valentines Day, and my perfectly “pinkalicious” cupcake obsessed three year old was really excited about pink+ strawberries+sprinkles+hearts+cupcakes. So this baking extravaganza and a princesses in tutus playdate was the result! Strawberries and cream cupcakes are the perfect way to bake some love in the summer with freshly picked strawberries, or in the winter using frozen strawberries. The flexibility of this recipe makes it a family favorite.
These cupcakes are supremely moist and bursting with real strawberry flavor throughout the cake and icing as it is infused with tons of REAL berries. The icing is so lusciously smooth and creamy, reminiscent of a strawberry milk shake. These cupcakes were such a hit with my family and friends, it will definitely be used in a few future parties! Try this for any strawberry obsessed friends, or simply a pink, girly themed party! Strawberry Shortcake obsessed kids? This will be the perfect treat for their next party!
The Ingredients
I made a strawberry cupcake from scratch topped with an amazingly creamy and fluffy strawberry frosting that melts in your mouth! For the cake, I use pureed strawberries (you can frozen or fresh) as well as some freeze dried strawberries (think concentrated flavor).
The freeze dried strawberries are my secret in this recipe. They are essential for getting that pure, concentrated strawberry flavor, and you will also need it for the frosting; it adds a ton of strawberry flavor without any liquid to compromise the frosting texture, along with a burst of natural pink coloring. The strawberry scent and flavor is so intense in each bite, you might think you are really biting into a strawberry!
(Clockwise from top left) Powdered sugar, granulated sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla yogurt, olive oil, cake flour and almond flour mixture, eggs, and frozen berries (before pureeing).
First beat the eggs with the sugars and oil. I used frozen raspberries here, use what you have in a pinch!
Then add the pureed berries.
Sift all your dry ingredients together (flour, almond flour, baking powder, ground dried strawberries, and salt) and gradually add to the wet part of the batter.
These cupcakes bake up nice and moist, are so fluffy, and berry delicious!
For the frosting, I basically use my vanilla bean frosting and add some of the freeze dried strawberries ground into a powder. The strawberry flavor is so intense, and combined with the creamy vanilla it makes for the perfect strawberry and cream topping! It truly tastes like a milkshake on top. YUM!
I’m no piping expert, but to make the task of frosting your cupcakes a cinch, fold over a pastry bag or plastic zip bag over a cup, as shown below, and fill the cup with frosting.
Seal the bag, push all the frosting down to one corner and snip off a 1/2 inch from the corner to pipe out the frosting.
Ingredients
For the cupcake:
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 c sugar
- 1/4 c powdered sugar
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1/2 c vanilla or plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 c cake flour
- 1/2 c almond flour or 2 cups cake flour total
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c pureed strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1 c freeze dried strawberries
For the Frosting:
- 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 c unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, at room temperature
- 3/4 c heavy cream
- 3 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 c freeze dried strawberries
- red food coloring if desired
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with vanilla extract. Add the cane sugar and whisk for about 1 minute until frothy.
- Add the oil, then the pureed berries to the egg mixture.
- In a medium bowl, sift and combine the flour, almond flour (if using), powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Grind the freeze dried strawberries in a blender or by crushing against a sieve and combine with the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet mixture in the larger bowl.
- Add the yogurt and combine well, but be careful to not over mix.
- Pour into cupcake pans and bake for 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, and then reduce to 350 F. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Do not open the oven before 15 minutes of cook time, or cupcakes with collapse in the center.
For the Frosting:
- Pour the cream into a small pot over medium- low heat. Slice open the vanilla bean vertically down the length of the bean, and use a knife to scrape out all the beans and add to the cream. Add the remainder of the bean pod to the cream. Simmer for only 5 minutes until fragrant and do not allow to boil or evaporate. Remove the bean pod and strain the cream with a fine sieve if necessary to remove any woody strands from the cream. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Whip the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract. Whip at medium then high speed for 1 minute.
- Sift the powdered sugar once or twice to remove any clumps and to aerate.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well.
- Add the vanilla bean infused cream and stir well.
- Grind the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor, blender, or by crushing against a sieve and blend into the frosting. Add red food coloring if deeper pink color is desired.
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