Fluffy, yet moist strawberry cupcakes made with real strawberries and packed with real strawberry flavor! Naturally pink and all-around gorgeous.
How to Pack in Real Strawberry Flavor
I really struggled with how to get the most strawberry flavor in these cupcakes. I didn’t want any artificial flavor because it always has a bad aftertaste, in my opinion.
A mix of strawberry puree and freeze-dried strawberries were the key after a lot of research and experimentation.
Usually, I like to reduce flavors into syrups or flavor concentrates to add a punch of flavor. The issue here is I didn’t want to add more sugar to the cupcakes, so creating a strawberry syrup wouldn’t work.
A flavor concentrate might work, so I started there. By reducing strawberries, we take out the excess moisture and leave just the flavor behind. It gives a really nice subtle strawberry flavor, but not enough to hold up against flavored frosting.
A few tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberries doesn’t affect the end texture, but takes the flavor over the edge and really makes it shine brighter.
So for the best strawberry flavor, you need concentrated strawberry puree + powdered freeze-dried strawberries.
What Frosting to Use with Strawberry Cupcakes
The possibilities are pretty endless here. Anything that pairs well with strawberries would work. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Lemon Frosting
- Vanilla Frosting
- Chocolate Frosting
- Nutella Frosting
- Strawberry Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
For these cupcakes, I used a mix of Nutella and strawberry frosting. My swirling was not very good here as I overestimated the power of the Nutella which blended too much with the strawberry. You can definitely taste both in the frosting.
How to Decorate Strawberry Cupcakes
Creativity is key. You can do just about anything to decorate your cupcakes. Dip fresh strawberries in white or regular chocolate. Add sprinkles or candies. Marshmallows, pretzels, and even potato chips would be fun [email protected] Even the way you frost your cupcakes can be done in so many different ways. I’ve always been a fan of simple decorations, but you push your creativity in any and all directions. There are no wrong answers!
How to Store Your Cupcakes
The best part about these strawberry cupcakes is how fluffy and moist they are. We don’t want to ruin that by allowing them to dry out. The wrapper and frosting do a lot to protect them, but to ensure they are at their best, you want to keep them in an airtight container.
You can place your airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, just allow it to come to room temperature before consuming. You can also freeze the cupcakes for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature.
Looking for More Cupcakes?
You will find a lot of great recipes in our archives. I really recommend trying my snickers cupcakes or my pavlova cupcakes. You might also enjoy my cookies and cream cupcakes or my blueberry lemon cupcakes. These blackberry lime cupcakes are a reader favorite. Strawberry rose cupcakes are perfect for a special occasion. If you want something smaller batch, these chocolate cupcakes with Nutella and raspberry are perfect.
