Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
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These delicious strawberries and cream cupcakes are perfect for strawberry season. Moist vanilla cupcakes dotted with strawberry pieces and topped with whipped cream and berries. No fancy decorating skills required and so delicious!
Strawberries and whipped cream are a classic combination – and these strawberries and cream cupcakes encapsulate everything you could want in cupcake form. The vanilla cupcakes are moist, tender and fluffy with bites of fresh berries throughout. Instead of a traditional frosting, they’re dolloped with sweetened whipped cream that’s filled with even more berries.
These cupcakes are beautiful in their simplicity and perfect for strawberry season. I love them for summer parties or high teas. They’re also great if you’re a tennis fan – since strawberries and cream is the dessert of Wimbledon.
Making the Cupcakes
The cupcakes are simple vanilla cupcake recipe. They’re made with butter for more flavor and use both sour cream and milk for moisture. After making the batter, you’ll gently fold in chopped strawberries. It’s important to use fresh strawberries for this recipe, as frozen strawberries will bleed color. As well, frozen strawberries are typically in slices – which are too large and will sink to the bottom of the cupcakes.
Recipe Tip
Make sure that the butter, eggs, sour cream and milk are room temperature before making the cupcake batter. This ensures that everything mixes together evenly – without overmixing. Overmixing will cause your cupcakes to become tough and dry instead of fluffy.
Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, it’s time to get on with the whipped cream. You’ll simply beat the whipping cream along with a little powdered sugar until it’s thick enough to dollop, but not curdling. Then gently fold in the chopped berries – again, using fresh berries that are chopped into small pieces about the size of a chocolate chip.
Recipe Tip
When beating whipping cream to make whipped cream – make sure the cream is cold from the fridge. Popping the bowl and beaters in the fridge for about 10 minutes before getting started will also make the process easier. Note that whipping cream comes in a carton and is typically between 33-35% MF.
You’ll love these cupcakes because of their moist crumb, and buttery vanilla flavor. Then the combo of fresh, sweet strawberries and luxurious whipped cream makes for the perfect treat.
If you love strawberries, then be sure to try these other strawberry desserts:
- Strawberry Layer Cake – this has strawberry flavored cake with strawberry frosting
- Strawberries and Cream Cake
- Strawberry Muffins
Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (209 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams) , softened, but not starting to melt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream (80 ml), room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120 ml) , room temperature, 2% works too
- 2/3 cup chopped strawberries, they should be chopped slightly larger than a chocolate chip
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream (360 ml), cold
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped strawberries, finely chopped
- 14-16 strawberries, optional
Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a muffin tin with muffin papers. This recipe will make about 14-16 cupcakes, so you will either need to use two muffin tins or bake 1 tin of muffins, let the pan cool and then bake the additional 2-4 cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamed.
- Add in the vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated (you should no longer see pieces of egg).
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and slowly beat together on a low speed until incorporated. Then stir in the sour cream.
- Beat in another about 1/3 of flour mixture into the batter with the mixer on a low speed, then beat in the milk (again with the mixer on a low speed). Then beat in the rest of the flour mixture.
- Carefully fold in the chopped berries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling each muffin cavity about 2/3 to 3/4 full. You should end up with about 14-16 cupcakes in total. If you only get 12 cupcakes (and you use all of the batter) then your cupcakes are too full and will overflow.
- Bake 1 tray at a time in the middle of the preheated oven. They should take about 21-24 minutes, or until the tops look set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist muffin crumbs but no gooey muffin batter.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Whipped Cream Topping
- On the day you plan to serve the cupcakes, make the whipped cream topping. Add the cold cream and powdered sugar to a cold bowl. Using the whisk attachment on your electric mixer, beat the cream until it's light and fluffy, but not starting to curdle.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and chopped berries.
- Ensure the cupcakes are completely cooled, then top each cupcake with a dollop of cream and a berry. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. (I recommend serving as soon as possible).
Notes
- Strawberries: Be sure to use fresh strawberries for this recipe.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the cupcakes, be sure that the butter, eggs, sour cream and milk are all at room temperature before getting started.
- Cream: The whipping cream should be somewhere between 33-35% MF. It should be cold for easier whipping.
- Make Ahead Tips: Cupcakes can be made 1 day before serving. Cool fully, then store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight. Only add the whipped cream topping the day you plan to serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cupcake with whipped cream topping.
