A homemade version of the popular Sprinkles’ strawberry cupcakes. These cupcakes are naturally colored using freeze dried strawberries
Thank you Sprinkles for putting cupcakes on the map! Candice Nelson took cupcakes to another level, turning the pastry world upside.
What was once made at home with box mixes and canned frosting became a gourmet, highly desirable commodity. It encouraged people to make better cupcakes. There was more focus on appearance and flavor than ever before.
There are several advantages to homemade cupcakes over store-bought ones. When baking at home, you have control over the quality of ingredients used.
These strawberry cupcakes contain no preservatives. The cupcake and frosting are naturally colored with a mixture of fresh strawberries and freeze dried strawberries.
A dozen Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes will cost you $60! Or, you can purchase them at $5 a piece. It’s much more cost effective to make them at home!
This is a fun recipe to make at home with family and friends. It’s easy enough to also make with kids.
Ingredients
The cupcake batter recipe requires all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, plain granulated sugar, and salt. In additional, you will need:
- Freeze Dried Strawberries: Available alongside dried fruits. Freeze drying is a process that removes nearly all the moisture from food. Available as sliced strawberries or ground strawberries (powder).
- Fresh Strawberries: Recipe works best with fresh strawberries. Thawed frozen strawberries have too much moisture that affects the consistency of the batter.
- Buttermilk: Use store-bought buttermilk or create your own by mixing 1/4 cup milk with a one teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before use.
- Vanilla: Use high quality pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste. Stay away from imitation vanilla extract.
- Butter: Unsalted butter allows you to control the saltiness of the cake.
- Egg Whites: Egg whites products a white cake. Use the leftover yolks to make pastry cream, double crust pie dough, or walnut chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe Variations
The Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes are topped with a simple American buttercream flavored with fresh and freeze dried strawberries.
Cheese Cheese Frosting: Try this easy strawberry cheese cake frosting which combines butter and cream cheese. It’s a smooth and creamy icing with the perfect amount of sweet and tart flavor.
Blueberry-Blackberry Cupcakes: These vibrantly colored blueberry-blackberry cupcakes are flavored with dark berries. They’re a stark contrast in color and flavor to the strawberry cupcakes.
Natural Pink Colored Cupcakes
To make my cupcakes unique, I enlisted the help of my favorite secret ingredient. In this case, ground freeze dried strawberries.
Freeze dried fruits give baked foods this vibrant natural color that is unattainable with food colorings and gels. Without it, these strawberries cupcakes would turn out tan or light brown in color once baked.
Strawberries are out of season in the Winter, but thanks for the marvels of modern farming and technology, you can get strawberries and practically any other fruit throughout the year.
However, these fruits may not be the sweetest because they are not at their natural peak. Freeze dried fruits help to bring out the natural flavors of the fruit without the addition of extracts and imitation oils.
Its also a good idea to buy frozen fruits for baking. More specifically, frozen fruits that are IQF (individually quick frozen) which are picked and frozen at their peak. Therefore, they tend to be sweeter and much more flavorful. They work well in recipes that require fruit purees.
So this year, make your Valentine feel super special with these homemade cupcakes. Maybe she won’t mind that you didn’t attach the diamond earrings to the box.
Recipe FAQs
Store cooled cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Store frosted cupcakes at room temperature for a day. Keep frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Warm to room temperature before serving.
Yes! Cool to room temperature. Individually wrap cupcakes and store in an airtight freezer safe container. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature.
Related Cupcake Recipes
- Funfetti Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
- Peaches and Cream Cupcakes
Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 Tbsp ground freeze dried strawberries
- ½ cup strawberry puree
- ¼ cup buttermilk, room temp
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, or vanilla paste
- ½ cup unsalted butter, ,softened, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites, , room temperature
Strawberry Frosting:
- ⅓ cup strawberry puree
- 1 Tbsp ground freeze dried strawberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter, , softened, slight chill
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, , sifted
Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground freeze dried strawberries. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix together strawberry puree, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a small cup, whisk together whole egg and egg whites. Slowly add egg mixture into the butter mixture on low-medium speed until combined.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture. Start and finish with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between additions to ensure ingredients are thoroughly distributed.
- Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in muffin tin until cool enough to remove and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes are ready for icing once they are room temperature.
Strawberry Frosting:
- Soak ground freeze dried strawberries in strawberry puree. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and salt until light and fluffy.
- On low speed, slowly add confectioners’ sugar. Beat until well combined. Slowly add puree mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Once cupcakes are at room temperature, they are ready for frosting. Let frosted cupcakes sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour for frosting to harden slightly and set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Is this your version of sprinkles strawberry cupcake or is the original recipe ?
Hi! Have you made this into a cake? If so, how would I go about doing it (same amount of ingredients)? I made these cupcakes and they are fantastic! I am not a baker, so I don’t know if this is an easy transition into a cake. Thank you!
Hi Marryanne
If I double the freeze dried strawberries amounts in the cupcakes and frosting batters, do you think it would mess up the recipe.
Hi Maryanne
What do you mean by slightly cold butter. Also, can these cupcakes be refrigerated after they are frosted. Also, did you watch a video on how to frost those cupcakes.
I suggest taking cold butter and letting it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before using. Yes, cupcakes can be refrigerated but they need to be brought back to room temperature before serving. Sorry, no I did not watch a video to frost the cupcakes.