Light, fluffy, super moist Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream. With the perfect cupcake crumb and super creamy strawberry frosting – you’ll absolutely love these cupcakes. 
Ok – Who likes cupcakes?
Scratch that. Who loves cupcakes? Fluffy, light, super moist vanilla cupcakes topped with delicious buttercream? Delicious creamy buttercream made with fresh strawberries that pairs perfectly with vanilla? Cupcakes that look so pretty they belong in a bakery case?
EVERYONE!!!!!
No seriously – everyone will love these cupcakes. You cannot not love these cupcakes. They have the perfect flavor combo for summer, the fluffiest cupcake texture and the softest crumb. Then the buttercream… Oh my. This is not that artificial, too sweet, fake strawberry icing – just completely creamy, smooth buttercream bursting with fresh strawberries.
Yup – you’re going to love them.
So what makes these cupcakes so delicious?
First, for the light, fluffy and super moist texture. To make the cupcakes fluffy, you’ll need to really beat the butter and sugar together – after you’re done creaming they should be almost white in color. Then, you’ll only uses egg whites to up the light & fluffiness even more.
Milk AND yogurt make your cupcakes super soft and moist. I’d recommend using 2% or whole milk for a more creamy & moist cupcake, skim won’t quite cut it. And be careful if using 0% fat yogurt. Yogurt with 0% fat often contains lots of gelatin which will change your cupcake texture – so just read your ingredient list to be sure gelatin is near the bottom.
And finally… Cake flour. Cake flour helps create that soft crumb and adds more lightness. If you don’t have cake flour on hand (which lets face it… I often don’t), you can make your own using all-purpose flour and cornstarch – see the notes in the recipe for details. Problem solved.
Now, for the delicious buttercream – this is where it gets a little tricky. Making the buttercream isn’t hard – but it does require a few extra steps than other recipes. I have a whole post with tips on how to make fresh strawberry buttercream frosting. But here’s the main things you need to know.
- Because we’re using fresh strawberries, we need to be careful that not too much liquid from the strawberries gets in the buttercream or it gets too thin. So, first you’ll process the strawberries in a blender or food processor and then boil them down to make a strawberry syrup.
- The syrup should be thick – almost jam like in consistency.
- Once cooled, the syrup is whipped into the buttercream to give you the creamiest, strawberry-est buttercream. Make sure that the syrup is fully cooled to room temperature before adding it into the buttercream. If it’s even lukewarm -it’s too hot. (I’m currently dreaming of more ways to use this buttercream – because seriously, it’s deadly – so stay tuned!)
And once your cupcakes are cooled, frost away! I used a piping bag and star-shaped frosting tip – but feel free to spread it on with a knife. (Psst…. they will taste exactly the same).
Oh… And how delicious they will taste! Strawberry & vanilla in delicious, fluffy cupcake form – Yup, you’re going to love them!
- 1 and 1/3 cup cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt , to taste
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulsated sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt , room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk , 2% or whole preferred
- 1 and 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , slightly softened
- 2 1/2 to 3 and 1/2 cups icing sugar , sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream depending on consistency
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a 12-cavity muffin pin with cupcake papers. I got 14 cupcakes total.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Continue beating and add in the egg whites and vanilla (another 30 seconds).
- Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in the yogurt.
Mix in the flour mixture with the electric mixer on low speed, followed by the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the lined muffin cavities - filling each about two thirds of the way full. I ended up with 14 cupcakes total.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove the cupcakes and continue cooling on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are cooling, you can start making the frosting. Process the strawberries in a blender or food processor until no lumps remain. Put the sauce through a wire sieve to remove the seeds.
Then transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the granulated sugar, and allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil while stirring.
Allow the sauce to boil for 10-15 minutes and reduce to about 1/3 of the original volume. Remove from the heat and cool in the fridge or freezer.
- In a large bowl using a hand held or stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Slowly add about 2 cups of the icing sugar and continue beating until combined.
Beat in 3-4 tablespoons of the cooled strawberry sauce. Make sure your strawberry sauce is cold before adding it to the buttercream.
Beat in the vanilla and the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time until the desired sweetness & thickness is reached. If the icing seems too thick, add in a tablespoon of whipping cream.
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag or by spreading the icing with an icing spatula.
*If you don't have cake flour on hand, measure 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour into a medium sized bowl then remove 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of the flour. Replace the 2 and 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour by adding 2 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk the mixture for about 1 minute then sift.
Hi, can I double the recipe for the cupcakes? Thanks
You can definitely double the recipe. I’d just be a little careful about over mixing since your bowl will be quite full. I hope you like the recipe!
Hi, the only yogurt I have is OIKOS Greek plain nonfat yogurt by Dannon…It doesn’t have gelatin in the ingredients, it contains cultured grade A non fat milk is it OK to use for the cupcakes? Thanks again
I’m so sorry I missed your question! Yes – that yogurt would work fine. Again, I’m so sorry for missing this!
Wonderful recipe. The frosting does take extra time, but the outcome is worth it. Thanks!
Thank you so much Liani!
Great cupcakes! I’ve been searching for a good vanilla cupcake recipe (usually they turn out dry, dense, or flavorless), & now I’ve finally found one. I actually used 1 whole egg instead of 2 egg whites because I didn’t want to waste the yolks & I also only had non-fat greek yogurt on hand, but they still turned out great. I stuffed mine with white chocolate ganache. So so good. Thanks!
I’m so glad that you loved the cupcakes. Filling them with chocolate ganache is soooo brilliant – you’ve totally inspired me! 🙂
These cupcakes are beyond amazing! I used sour cream (room temp of course) instead of yogurt, as I didn’t have any on hand…they turned out absolutely AWESOME! This is definitely my new favorite recipe. I made mine into Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. 😉
AH – I’m so glad you love the recipe! I’m going to have to try my hand at some chocolate chip cupcakes too. Thanks so much for trying the cupcakes!
What is icing sugar?
Icing sugar is another name for confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar – the very fine sugar used in buttercream & frosting recipes. I hope you like the cupcakes!
Can you frost these the night before and leave them in the fridge?
Hi Erica – that would work just fine! 🙂
I see 1/2 cup milk listed under the ingredients for the cupcakes but I don’t see when to add it in the instructions. Can you please advise.
Hi Deb,
You’ll add in the milk after the flour mixture in Step 4. I hope you like the recipe!
Can I use frozen strawberries for the icing?
Hi Katie,
If using frozen strawberries you’ll just need to be especially careful to boil out the liquid while reducing the strawberries. I’d think the time would probably double for letting the mixture boil – but as long as the strawberry puree is thick after after boiling then you should be fine.
-Fiona
The cupcakes came out delicious but when I added the strawberry puree to the butter/sugar mix per instruction, it broke. Did I over beat the butter or is there a way to prevent this?
I’m sorry the frosting didn’t work out for you! It could have been over beating, or my other guess would be that the strawberry puree was a bit warm when it was added, or wasn’t reduced quite enough to get out enough liquid out.
I made fresh strawberry preserves recently. Could I use that in the icing? And if so, how much?
I think using strawberry preserves would work just fine. I’d start with about 3 tablespoons, then slowly add 1 tablespoon more at a time until you get the desired flavor.
Hi, would this work if I doubled and bake it as a whole cake?
I think that would work just fine – however I’m not 100% sure of the baking time since I haven’t tried it myself. If you baked the cake in two 9-inch pans, I think it would be about 25-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Hello, could i use shortening instead of butter. I tried using the butter but it didnt work for me it just bascially melted and separated( it tasted good though). I want to give it another go
Hi Kei,
Do you mean changing from butter to shortening in the frosting? I haven’t tried with shortening, so I’m not 100% sure. I suspect the taste would be a little less buttery and typically frosting that uses shortening will hold its shape more. I’m sorry that the original frosting separated for you – this is often caused by either the strawberry syrup being too thin (not boiling it down enough) or it still being warm when it’s beaten into the frosting. I’m glad it was tasty though!
Could I add strawberry yogurt to the batter instead of plain?
I haven’t tried – but I think that would work just fine & taste delicious! If it’s “fruit on the bottom” yogurt I’d just make sure to stir it well before adding it. Let me know how they turn out!
If I make at night and keep in cupcakes carrier at room temperature,it will be fine next day?
Keeping them at room temperature overnight should be fine – as long as your house/kitchen isn’t hot or they aren’t left in the sun! 🙂
Hiya – Can the cupcakes be baked and then frozen?
Yup! I’d freeze them unfrosted in an airtight container, then allow them to dethaw in the fridge overnight and then bring them to room temperature on the counter before frosting.
Hi, I don’t usually write comments but i believe these cupcakes deserve 1. I just want to say THANKS for the recipe they came out so pillowy and amazing. I followed the recipe but I used vanilla beans I think this is a winner. Thanks so much you have no idea how many recipes i’ve read and how many different recipes i’ve followed.
I’m so glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
If I wanted to use this recipe to make chocolate cupcakes, how could I do that?
Hi Amanda – I haven’t tried altering this particular recipe to make chocolate cupcakes. Instead I’d recommend using this recipe – they’re super moist & very chocolate-y 🙂 http://www.justsotasty.com/chocolate-cupcakes-peanut-butter-frosting/
What will happen if you just use all purpose flour?
Cake flour tends to give a lighter cupcake texture and finer crumb than all purpose. If you don’t have cake flour you can substitute it with a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch that’s shown in the notes of the recipe at the bottom. I haven’t tried the recipe using a substitution of equal parts all-purpose flour for cake flour though, so I’m not sure what the result would be.
Hi. Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted. Thanks
That should be fine – I’d just remove the salt from the recipe!
I would love to try to make these cupcakes for my sisters Lingerie Shower. It’s coming up in a couple weeks. Have you ever tried this cupcake recipe with a different frosting, perhaps a vanilla one? I ask because I’m afraid the strawberry frosting might split on me. Can you describe what the frosting tastes like? Usually I’m not a fan of strawberry frostings because they tend to be overly sweet and very fragrant. But this one looks really delicious. And if I did use a vanilla frosting, any recommendations, and I would need to add food coloring to make the frosting a light shade of pink, so would it affect the taste? Also if I made the strawberry frosting and wanted to add additional food coloring would it affect the taste of that frosting as well? Thanks!
Hi Erika,
The frosting in this recipe isn’t too sweet, since it’s using real strawberries instead of an artificial strawberry flavor. But it is a bit trickier than a regular vanilla frosting. If you’d like to make vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting – I’d try this recipe instead http://www.justsotasty.com/vanilla-cupcakes-with-vanilla-buttercream/, then you could use a few drops of red food coloring to tint the frosting pink. You’d just want to add a couple drops at a time til you get the desired shade. The flavor of the frosting wouldn’t be affected by the food coloring since most have no flavor and you won’t need too much food coloring. Have fun at the shower!
-Fiona
Hi Fiona, I have just tried it, it works perfectly.. I didn’t have vanilla extract though, so i used Mango flavor, it tastes fine.
Glad to hear you liked the recipe – With mango would be so delicious!
I made these cupcakes (also doubled the recipe and made a 8″ cake as well) for my son’s first birthday and they were delicious! Have you tried this recipe with raspberries? Do you think it would be a simple substitution? Also, would it work to add fresh berries to the cake? Thanks!
I’m so glad! The frosting should be a simple substitution with raspberries instead. I’m not 100% sure about adding fresh berries to the cake however since I haven’t tried it. I’d be a little concerned about adding too much liquid to the batter with the cut up berries – I think you’d definitely want to use fresh berries (so you don’t get ice crystals in the batter) and make sure that they’re well dried off. If you try with cut up fruit – let me know how it goes! Happy birthday to your son!!!
I made these tonight for my 2 year old! My husband and daughter repeatedly said “Wow”! Such a great recipe!
So glad you loved them – thanks for reporting back!
I’ve tried and loved several other recipes of yours, but these cupcakes did not come out. I always follow a recipe exactly and know what room temperature means especially when it comes to butter. I wanted to try a new recipe for my toddler birthday today and opted for this. Sadly my cupcakes caved after cooling and shrunk. I weighed and measure everything so this shouldn’t have happened. Quite bummed due to having to make vanilla cupcakes again but using an old recipe I found online 5 1/2 yr ago by another great baker. Either way your frosting was delicious on my other cupcakes.
Hi Ivy,
I’m sorry to hear that the cupcakes didn’t work out for you. Typically, when cupcakes sink while they’re cooling it’s due to not being completely cooked in the center, or it could also be that the baking powder or soda has passed its expiry date. I’m glad the frosting turned out though. I hope you had a great birthday party!
Hey, I was wondering what tip you used for frosting… And also was the frosting you made easy to frost and won’t melt??
I used a 1M tip to frost these cupcakes. The frosting itself is a little thinner than some because of the strawberries, but if they’re being stored at room temperature it should be fine.
Do you have a plain buttercream frosting recipe or know of a good one? Thanks! ☺️
Yup! I have a recipe for plain vanilla buttercream here: http://www.justsotasty.com/vanilla-cupcakes-with-vanilla-buttercream/ 🙂
Holy cow, these are delicious! I used to bake vanilla muffins (not cupcakes) all the time and I was honestly never satisfied with the outcome. These, on the other hand, taste absolutely divine. Thanks a bunch for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved the cupcakes – I think the strawberry buttercream really take sit up a notch 🙂
Just finished making these- holy fluffy and moist! I LOVE this recipe! I was a little worried because the batter looked a little curdled after mixing in the wet ingredients, but it all worked out great in the oven. I think my baking soda might’ve been a bit old- since the middles sunk a little as they cooled. BUT the cupcakes were moist and delicious, and SUPER FLUFFY which I’ve struggled with on other recipes. SO THANK YOU!!!
I’m so glad you love the recipe! Fluffy AND moist cupcakes can be so tricky – I’m so glad these turned out so perfectly for you 🙂
Amazing recipe, very soft and moist.. thanks and I can’t wait to try ur chocolate cupcake
Omg!! This cupcake was soooo good, I used sour cream instead of yogurt and it still came out perfect! Definitely recommend this recipe, my hubby and I finished all of them in a day 😀
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who can eat multiple cupcakes in one day 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the recipe!!!
Hi! I made the frosting and it was amazing. Do you think I could make an orange buttercream the same way. Peel the oranges, put them thru the food processor, etc? Let me know, thanks!
So glad you liked the frosting!!! I think if you wanted to make orange buttercream, you’d want to just use orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice instead (without boiling the fruit). You could use this recipe for lime frosting, and just substitute the lime with oranges: http://www.justsotasty.com/lemon-lime-cupcakes/ . I’d probably add an extra tablespoon of orange zest since it’s not quite as strong as limes.