Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

5 from 20 votes

These strawberry filled cupcakes have a super moist vanilla cupcake base filled with homemade strawberry sauce and decorated with an American buttercream infused with a strawberry reduction.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

150 g Granulated sugar
113 Unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
120 g Whole milk at room temperature
185 g All purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon White vinegar
½ teaspoon Baking soda

Strawberry sauce filling

320 g Strawberry cut into small pieces
50 g Granulated sugar more or less depends on sweetness of strawberry
½ tablespoon Lemon juice freshly squeezed
1½ tablespoon Corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

Strawberry buttercream frosting

226 g Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
360 g Powdered sugar sifted
1 tablespoon Lemon juice freshly squeezed
80 g Strawberry reduction See ingredient notes below
½ tablespoon Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Heavy Cream use it cold, 36% fat content

Decoration

fresh strawberry

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Vanilla Cupcakes

Line a cupcake tin with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 350℉ (no fan).
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, whipping well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together for your dry ingredients. Lower the mixer speed and gradually add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the room-temperature milk. Mix until just combined—avoid overmixing.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will bubble up, so immediately fold it into the batter until, just combined.
Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the cupcake tin, filling each cavity about ¾ full.
Bake for 20-22 minutes at 175℃ / 350℉, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be sure not to overbake to avoid drying them out. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack before filling and frosting.

Strawberry sauce filling

Cook the strawberry pieces, lemon juice, and sugar together over medium heat for about 7 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with water until smooth. Add a tablespoon of the warm strawberry sauce to the cornstarch mixture, then gradually pour the cornstarch mixture into the strawberry-sugar mixture. Stir constantly and cook for another minute until the sauce thickens.

Strawberry buttercream frosting

Start by softening your butter. Next, set up your stand mixer with the paddle attachment or grab your electric hand mixer, depending on what you're using.
Cream the softened butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture is light, fluffy, and has increased in volume.
Next, with the mixer on low speed, add the lemon juice, heavy cream, vanilla extract, strawberry reduction, and salt. Continue to whip for another minute until the frosting is smooth and silky.
The strawberry frosting should be perfectly fluffy and pipeable. If it’s too thick, add more cream, one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too thin, gradually add powdered sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Remember that the frosting has the best texture right after it’s made when the butter is at room temperature and the mixture is freshly whipped. I recommend using the frosting immediately or storing it in a piping bag at room temperature for a few hours. If refrigerating, allow it to come back to room temperature before use, and you may need to whip it again for a minute or two to restore its volume.

Assembling

Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, make a small hole in the center of each one and fill it with about one tablespoon of strawberry sauce.
Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake, then decorate as desired, e.g., with fresh strawberries.
Serve the cupcakes fresh. Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for 1-2 days. I recommend serving the cupcakes at room temperature for the buttercream frosting to soften.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
To make the strawberry reduction, start with 2-3 times more fruit than needed for the reduction. Puree fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries, then cook the puree over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until it thickens slightly and some water evaporates. Measure the reduced puree after this process.
Alternatively, you can use strawberry jam instead of the strawberry reduction, but the reduction's tangy taste is a better option for balancing the sweetness of the buttercream.
All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, butter, and milk.
It's important to use high-quality vanilla for the best flavor. Feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

The baking soda and vinegar mixture is my signature baking hack for making cupcakes super moist and fluffy; do not skip it.
Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
Never frost warm cupcakes. Make sure they are chilled to room temperature.
The temperature and texture of the butter are crucial when making buttercream. Let it soften naturally; avoid microwaving it at the last minute.
When adding powdered sugar, reduce the mixer speed to prevent a cloud of sugar from filling the air.
When adding liquid ingredients like lemon juice and strawberry reduction, keep the mixer on low speed to ensure they’re evenly incorporated into the buttercream.

Nutrition