My strawberry cupcakes are the most requested celebration dessert from friends and family. These cupcakes were also one of the first desserts I ever made when I first started baking as a teen. Back in my childhood home in Brooklyn, we had a fairly small kitchen. Although our kitchen wasn’t big, it had all the appliances I needed to test out my baking creations. It was a very old oven, but it was functional and worked well for baking cupcakes. I would have to convince my mom to purchase all of the baking ingredients from the local supermarket, so I could bake some cupcakes. My introduction to cupcakes was thanks to Martha. I used to watch her bake cupcakes on television and took notes of her baking techniques. While I enjoyed baking cupcakes, I didn’t fall in love with cupcakes until I had Sprinkles Cupcakes. Over the years, I’ve been able to continuously bake and refine my strawberry cupcake recipe. I’ve made these strawberry cupcakes for birthday parties, friends’ gatherings, and even an engagement party. These cupcakes were always a huge hit whenever I brought them to a celebration. There is just something addictive about strawberry cupcakes. It has the right amount of sweetness, tartness, and tenderness. I made one last batch to say goodbye to summer with the fresh strawberries I had purchased at a local supermarket.
Strawberry Cupcakes
(Makes 12 cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
· 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
· 1½ teaspoons baking powder
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
· ¾ cup granulated sugar
· 2 large eggs, room temperature
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
· ½ cup pureed strawberries
· ¼ cup whole milk
Frosting:
· ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· 1½ tablespoons pureed strawberries
· ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
· 3-3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2) In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and pureed strawberries. Mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the milk. Stir to combine all of the ingredients. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk. Combine until the batter is smooth.
4) Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin tin lined with cupcake liners.
5) Bake the cupcakes in the center rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let completely cool before frosting.
6) To make the frosting, combine the butter, salt, pureed strawberries, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time and mix until desired consistency is achieved. You may not need to use all 3½ cups of confectioners' sugar.
7) To decorate the cupcakes, use a large star tip and pastry bag. Make large swirls on top of the cupcakes, starting at the outer edge and finishing at the center.
Takeaways: The cupcakes taste best at room temperature. You can also pop the cupcakes in the refrigerator for ten to fifteen minutes to cool it down faster. I sometimes add this step, so I can get to the best part – decorating the cupcakes.
I piped a rose on one of the cupcakes for fun. The kitchen was very warm from cooking throughout the day. The buttercream rose started melting after the cupcake sat out for 15 minutes.