Vibrant strawberry cupcakes naturally colored with freeze dried strawberries. They are topped with sweet strawberry cream cheese frosting and garnished with a fresh strawberry.
The popularity of these blueberry-blackberry cupcakes inspired this new strawberry version.
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!
Ingredients
For best results, measure dry ingredients by weight using a kitchen scale. Otherwise, if you prefer to measure by volume, you the spoon and level method for flour.
- All-Purpose Flour: I exclusively use King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour for consistency. Any flour brand will work. Gluten-free all-purpose flour mixes work well in this recipe.
- Freeze Dried Strawberries: Freeze drying is a process that removes nearly all the moisture from food. Freeze dried strawberries are different from dried strawberries (which still contain a ton of moisture). More details in next section.
- Unsalted Butter: Use softened, room temperature unsalted butter. Omit salt in the recipe if you choose to use salted butter. Vegan butter used for a dairy free option.
- Milk: Any milk including non-dairy milks such as almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk may be used.
- Strawberries: Use either fresh or thawed frozen strawberries to make strawberry puree. Highly recommend using fresh strawberries for best results.
- Cream Cheese: Use brick-style cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese has the best texture and flavor for frosting. Reduced fat or low fat cream cheese has extra moisture that will affect the consistency of the frosting.
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 colors both the batter and frosting.
The cupcake batter also utilizes real strawberries. However, fresh strawberries imparts a very subtle flavor. The freeze dried strawberries really help to amplify the fruit flavor!
INGREDIENT TIP: What to do with leftover freeze dried strawberries?
Add freeze dried strawberries to your morning cereal or granola, mix it into your trail mix, or simply snack on them.
If you have more time, try using the extra freeze dried strawberries in these recipes: strawberry kiss cookies, strawberry matcha latte, and berry jelly donuts.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
The super easy frosting is a simple mixture of butter, cream cheese, freeze dried strawberries, and confectioners’ sugar. Use a stand mixer or a hand held mixer to beat together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
The combination of butter and cream cheese produces a pleasant tart-tang that balances out the sweetness of the strawberry cupcakes.
This sweet frosting is also wonderful on vanilla cake, funfetti cinnamon rolls, or strawberry rolls! from a mixture of cream cheese and butter.
More Cupcake Recipes
- Peaches and Cream Cupcakes
- Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes
Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, (215 g)
- ½ Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoon ground freeze dried strawberries, (16 g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g) softened, room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ½ cup whole milk, room temp
- 5 oz strawberries,, (142 g) pureed and strained
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, , (113 g) room temp
- 4 oz cream cheese,, room temp
- 4 Tablespoon ground freeze dried strawberries,, (16 g) sifted
- 2 cup confectioners' sugar, (227 g)
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. Garnish frosted cupcake with fresh strawberry.
Notes
- Milk: Any milk including non-dairy milks such as almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk may be used.
- Strawberries: Use either fresh or thawed frozen strawberries to make strawberry puree. Highly recommend using fresh strawberries for best results.
- Cream Cheese: Use brick-style cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese has the best texture and flavor for frosting. Reduced fat or low fat cream cheese has extra moisture that will affect the consistency of the frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
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.
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…
it yummylicious…… this freeze dried strawberry is mandatory? Can we skip it and make cupcakes?
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! :)