Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
Vanilla sponge with real berries and a strawberry-flecked frosting.
Before you start
Real strawberry flavour in a cupcake is a concentration problem: fresh berries are mostly water, and water is the enemy of both sponge and buttercream. The answer is reduction: the berries cook down to a thick purée that flavours the frosting like jam and folds through the batter without drowning it. Freeze-dried shortcuts exist, but this is the from-scratch way.
Everything you need
- 2½ cups (about 350 g) strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (169 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, soft
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, soft (for the frosting)
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar, sifted (for the frosting)
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Blitz the strawberries and simmer the purée in a small pan, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes until reduced to about ⅓ cup of thick paste. Cool completely. This is the flavour engine of the whole recipe.
For this step
- 2½ cups (about 350 g) strawberries
-
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a 12 hole tin.
-
Beat the butter and caster sugar until pale, 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
For this step
- ¾ cup (169 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
-
Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt, alternating with the milk. Swirl 2 tablespoons of the cooled strawberry reduction through the batter with two strokes.
For this step
- 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
-
Divide between the cases and bake 18 to 20 minutes until springy. Cool completely.
-
Beat the frosting butter for 4 minutes, add the powdered sugar in stages, then beat in the rest of the strawberry reduction a spoonful at a time. Pipe or swirl onto the cooled cakes and top each with a strawberry half.
For this step
- ¾ cup (169 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
Baker's tips
- The reduction must be fully cold before it meets buttercream, and go in gradually. Warm or rushed, it splits the frosting into pink soup.
- If the frosting does loosen, chill it 15 minutes and rebeat. Buttercream forgives everything once it's cold.
Make it your own
- A hidden spoonful of strawberry jam cored into each cooled cupcake before frosting.
- Raspberries reduce identically for the sharper cousin of this cupcake.
Storing & freezing
Lidded at cool room temperature for 2 days or the fridge for 4. The fresh berry halves go on at serving time, since they weep overnight.
Frequently asked
How do you get strong strawberry flavour in frosting?
Reduce fresh purée to a thick paste and beat it in cold, or use ground freeze-dried strawberries. Raw berries or juice carry too much water and split the buttercream.
Can I use frozen strawberries for the reduction?
Yes, straight into the pan from frozen. They release water faster and reduce to the same paste. Frozen fruit is often riper than fresh supermarket berries.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
More to bake
A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.