Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes

Soft and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with fresh strawberry buttercream made from real strawberries. As delicious as they are pretty, these quick and easy cupcakes are sure to be everyone’s favorite!

During this time of social distancing, I’m doing my best to balance the heavy weight of our current reality with things that bring me joy. Calling a friend, playing UNO with my girls, walking the dog around the block at sunset. I’ve been writing notes to friends, organizing messy drawers, making cookies for neighbors, and doing lots and lots of dis-trac-ti-bak-ing. Yes, that’s a thing and it seems everyone is doing it. I hope we are all learning that whatever is on our list of things that spark joy during this time when we are all doing a little less is worthy of our attention long after this is all over. It’s the little things that are going to get us through these strange times. Having the space to slow down and appreciate the small but meaningful things is what I’m loving most about these quieter days.

Since we are all more focused on the present moment, the here and now, and finding little things that bring us lots of happy, it seems fitting to share a small batch recipe that incorporates springtime’s most popular berry. These fresh strawberry buttercream cupcakes are as pretty as they are delicious and with strawberry season upon us they are right on time. The recipe makes just twelve cupcakes to share with your favorite homebodies so you won’t have two dozen frosted cupcakes lingering around well into next week. This half batch recipe is perfect for this time when we are doing less sharing but more baking.

WHY ARE THESE CUPCAKES SO GOOD?

These cutie pie strawberry frosted cupcakes have a long list of things going for them, but here’s the short and sweet of it in case you need any convincing.

They’re easy to make. This recipe uses just a handful of pantry staples and only a half a cup of fresh, ruby red strawberries to make that pretty pink swirl on top. From start to finish you can have a dozen of these cupcakes sitting pretty on your kitchen counter in under an hour.

Who doesn’t love pink frosting? Kids big and small will love these cupcakes for their soft and fluffy crumb and that mile high swirl of fresh strawberry buttercream. No funky food coloring here…just pure, all natural strawberry flavor.

Substitutions are welcome. These cupcakes are a dream because the recipe is easily adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand. Don’t have sour cream? No problem. Sub greek yogurt. Can’t find fresh strawberries at the market? No biggie…use frozen berries instead. Want to make these gluten free? Go for it. Just sub a gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour for the cake flour and it’s all good!

They freeze beautifully. These cupcakes not only bake up perfectly every time, but they are super freezer friendly. Just wrap the cooled, unfrosted cupcakes tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze until the craving strikes. Then defrost on the kitchen counter for 30-45 minutes before frosting. Your freezer stash never looked so good!

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CUPCAKES

Go easy on the batter. I think you know this already, but it’s worth repeating. If you want the lightest, fluffiest crumb texture in your cupcakes, do not over mix your batter. Once you have incorporated the flour into the wet ingredients, use a large spatula or wooden spoon to fold the mixture together until a few streaks of flour remain. Over mixing will lead to a dry, dense cupcake so keep the less is more motto in mind as you mix your batter.

Cake flour makes all the difference. Cake flour is naturally lighter than all purpose flour and it makes perfectly soft and fluffy cupcakes. You can find cake flour in a box next to regular flour in the baking aisle but if you are in a hurry and don’t want to bother with another trip to the market, try this cake flour substitute.

Don’t over fill the cupcake liners. For best results, fill the cupcake liners until about 2/3 full. If you fill them to the top you risk the batter overflowing and spreading onto the pan while baking. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide the batter evenly amongst a 12 cup cupcake pan.

Do not over bake. Every oven runs differently so use the bake time as a guide. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs remaining. If you press lightly on the top of the cupcake, it should spring back and the tops will be just slightly golden brown.

Cool completely before frosting. I love a warm, fresh from the oven cupcake just was much as the next girl but for pretty swirls that stay in place, cool the cupcakes completely before frosting. If you’re in a hurry, pop the cupcakes in the fridge for 10 minutes for a quick cool down.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

This fresh strawberry buttercream is one dreamy frosting that my kids declared was the best buttercream they’ve ever tasted. Seeing as I make dozens and dozens of cupcakes all year long like it’s my job, I’m pretty sure my girls know a thing or two about frosting. Follow the tips below for the very best buttercream and grab two spoons because it’s totally irresistible!

Use cold {ish} butter. Rock hard butter doesn’t cut it when it comes to making buttercream but for this recipe we want the butter to be on the cold side. We’re breaking all the rules here since I usually tell you to soften the butter to room temperature for buttercream frosting. This time, cube cold butter into squares and let it sit out for about 15- 20 minutes. The slighty chilled butter will mix smoothly with the confectioner’s sugar and will whip into a thick, fluffy frosting that is perfect for piping.

Sift your sugar. I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a lazy baker but this is one step I won’t skip. Sifting the confectioner’s sugar before incorporating it into the butter ensures that your frosting is smooth and creamy and free of any lumps and bumps. It takes just 60 extra seconds and it’s well worth it.

It’s all about the berries. For the very best, naturally flavored strawberry frosting, cherry pick the best strawberries of the bunch. Fresh is best but if you can’t find fresh berries, use frozen. Simply defrost the berries first and then pulse them together in a food processor or blender until they become liquid. If you love strawbs as much as I do, feel free to add an extra tablespoon or two of the juice to your buttercream. Your sweet tooth will thank you.

These fresh strawberry buttercream cupcakes are bringing me all kinds of joy these days. I think I may even love them more than chocolate which is saying a lot. There’s just so much to love about these pretty little cupcakes….they’re delish, super easy to make and sooooo super soft and tender thanks to the sour cream and cake flour combo. And who doesn’t love pink frosting? I hope you’ll give this easy recipe a whirl and let me know what you think. Or bookmark it for another day when you can double the batch and tote these beauties along to a birthday bash or backyard bbq.

Sending love from six feet away. Happy baking friends!

If you like these fresh strawberry buttercream cupcakes, you may also like:

Lemon Cake with Raspberry Glaze & Fresh Cherries

Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

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