These strawberry cupcakes are naturally colored using freeze dried strawberries. The baked cupcakes are topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting.
The popularity of these blueberry-blackberry cupcakes inspired this new strawberry version.
Thank you Sprinkles for starting the cupcake boom of the early 2000s! They played a big part in the elevation and evolution of the little old cupcake.
Strawberry Cupcakes
Cupcakes are the perfect starting point for new bakers. It’s not as intimidating as make a layer cake. Plus, cupcakes are a great way to practice your pipping skills!
Have you ever tried boxed strawberry cake mix?
I’ve never been a fan because the strawberry flavor is very artificial tasting. And, the unnatural pink hue throws me off.
These strawberry cupcakes are nothing like that!
Secret Ingredient: Freeze Dried Fruit
The secret to the all natural flavor and color of these cupcakes is ground freeze dried strawberries!
Freeze dried strawberries are available in whole strawberries, sliced strawberries, or ground (powder).
Make your own powder by processing whole or sliced freeze dried strawberries in a small food processor or a spice grinder.
No need for artificial food coloring. The powdered strawberries naturally color the batter and frosting.
The cupcake batter also utilizers real strawberries. However, fresh strawberries imparts a very subtle flavor. The freeze dried strawberries really help to amplify the fruit flavor.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
The frosting is made from a mixture of cream cheese and butter. This combination adds a nice tang to balance out the sweetness of the cake portion.
With strawberry season coming up, expect a lot more strawberry recipes from me!
Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- 1 ⅔ cup (241 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoon (16 g) ground freeze dried strawberries
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, softened, room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ½ cup whole milk, room temp
- 5 oz (142 g) strawberries, pureed and strained
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 4 Tablespoon (16 g) ground freeze dried strawberries, sifted
- 2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground freeze-dried strawberries*. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. In a small bowl, mix together milk and strawberry puree.
- Add about ⅓ of flour mixture into the creamed butter. Mix at low-medium speed. Add ½ of the milk mixture. Continue to mix until almost combined. Add another ⅓ of flour mixture followed by the rest of the milk mixture. End with the last ⅓ of flour mixture. Continue to mix until batter is smooth and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour left.
- Divide batter among 12 cupcakes. Bake for 20-24 minutes until cake is done and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in tin for a couple of minutes before unmolding and let cool completely on wire rack. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cream until smooth. Sift together ground freeze-dried strawberries and confectioners’ sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add sifted ingredients. Once all in, beat at medium speed until frosting is smooth. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe over cooled cupcakes. Decorate with a sliced strawberry.
Great idea to used ground-up freeze-dried strawberries! I’ll have to give it a try. These cupcakes made me hungry!
I love freeze-dried fruits! Asides from the pop of color they bring to baked goods, they’re great for snacking.
We’ve just begun our strawberry season and I am looking forward to much baking with fresh berries!
The cupcakes are joyful and scream spring! Adding freeze dried berries is inspired!
Fresh berries are the best!
These are so pretty! I love the colour of the frosting and the sliced strawberries on top.
Thanks, Yii-Huei! I tried to keep them as simple as possible.
These are the prettiest looking cupcakes! I love that they’re full of real strawberries and the strawberry cream cheese frosting looks divine!
Thanks, Rosie! The frosting is the best part! :)
I love strawberries and these look gorgeous!
Thanks, Erika! I love strawberries, too!
What gorgeous cupcakes! I have 4 lb of strawberries in the fridge too!
Thank you, Chung-Ah! That means a lot coming from you! I absolutely love your blog.
What is 5 oz of strawberry puree in cups? They look delish! Would love to give them a try :)
Hi Ann, I think 5 oz was about 3/4 cup of puree.
Thank you :)
No eggs? I did the recipe and it gets really bad :(
Oh no. I’m sorry! There was a typo in the recipe. The cupcakes call for 2 large eggs.
I love strawberry anything and these cupcakes look gorgeous.I’ve featured this recipe on my blog, hoping that you don’t mind, but if you do, please contact me and I’ll remove it. All the best.
I know I would have to at least double the recipe, but how do you think it would work for a layer cake? I’m having the hardest time finding a from scratch strawberry cake that is light and fluffy.
Hi Cheryl, I only tested this recipe for cupcakes. I’m not really sure how it would turn out as a layer cake, but it’s a try! :)
Hi…
it yummylicious…… this freeze dried strawberry is mandatory? Can we skip it and make cupcakes?
Can you explain the “5 oz strawberries, pureed and strained”? Do you mean strained to remove some amount of liquid and use all the pulp in the recipe, or strained to remove seeds and large chunks, using the smallest bits and liquid in the recipe?
Weigh out 5 oz of hulled strawberries. Puree strawberries and strain out the seeds. Use the strained puree in the recipe.
Hi Maryanne
I see that you bumped the amounts of strawberry puree and freeze dried strawberries in this recipe compared to the sprinkles strawberry cupcake you have on your blog. By doing that, do this recipe have more strawberry flavor than the sprinkles cupcake recipe.
Yes, this has more strawberry flavor.