These Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes are a sweet twist on a classic dessert, combining fluffy vanilla cake, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream topping. Light, fruity, and fun to serve, they’re the perfect treat for spring and summer celebrations.
Jump to:
- Why This Recipe Works
- What You Need for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- Substitutes and Variations
- How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- How to Make Strawberry Filling?
- How to Make Whipped Cream Berry Frosting?
- Expert Cupcake Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Related Recipes
- Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Why This Recipe Works
Fresh and Fruity: Juicy strawberries add natural sweetness and brightness to every bite.
Tender Cupcakes: By using the reverse creaming method of beating butter into the dry ingredients, you get a much more tender texture to the cupcakes and with a sturdier crumb.
Extra Delicious: This yellow cupcake recipe, the same one I use for my easy birthday cupcakes, is incredibly flavorful. Paired with a twist on my homemade whipped cream blended with fresh strawberries, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and delicious!
Single-Serve Simplicity: Easier to serve than traditional shortcake—no slicing required!
Perfect for Warm Weather: A cool, refreshing dessert that’s ideal for spring, summer, or any strawberry-filled occasion.
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my chocolate cream-filled cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, dark chocolate buttercream frosting, and this incredible strawberry chocolate cake!
What You Need for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Butter: I like to use unsalted butter, but salted can be used in its place. Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature and cut into 12-16 chunks.
Whole Milk: This is great for the extra fat, but 2% milk can be used as well.
Strawberries: Try to pick unblemished, firm, fully ripe, deep red strawberries. Those will be the best-tasting and freshest.
Heavy Cream: Make sure this is cold to make the best whipped cream.
Substitutes and Variations
Fruit: Try some fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries instead of strawberries.
Milk: You can use 2% instead of whole.
Whipped Cream: Frozen Whipped Topping from the store works great in a pinch. Just thaw it before you mix in the strawberries.
Cake: If you are short on time, you can make these with your favorite boxed cake mix, or they’d be tasty made with my homemade buttermilk chocolate cake.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- Step 1: In a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and alt. Mix on low speed.
- Step 2: Once combined, add the butter one chunk at a time until the mixture looks like sand.
- Step 3: Add in the eggs on at a time until fully mixed. Then add in the milk and vanilla, increase mixer speed to medium, and stir until batter is light and fluffy- about 3 minutes.
- Step 4: Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
How to Make Strawberry Filling?
- Step 5: Mash ⅓ cup of strawberries. Slice remaining strawberries and add to the mashed strawberries.
- Step 6: Add sugar and stir to coat and dissolve the sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes.
- Step 7: Cut a small cone out of the top of each cupcake and fill the hole with 1 tablespoon of filling.
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How to Make Whipped Cream Berry Frosting?
- Step 8: Whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium until foamy. Then increase speed and whisk until soft peaks form.
- Step 9: Gently fold in 1 cup of the strawberry mixture.
- Step 10: Spoon frosting onto each cupcake.
Expert Cupcake Tips
- Adjust oven racks to the middle of the oven for even baking.
- Fill cupcake liners only ¾ full for a nice round cupcake.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill cupcake lines.
- Allow cupcakes to cool fully before filling and frosting.
- Fill and frost the Cupcakes close to when you want to serve them.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. It can be halved if needed.
If frosted, I like to store cupcakes in a large container with a lid, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The whipped cream frosting might start to melt, though.
Yes! You can make the cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them for up to 6 months. Simply thaw the night before serving and then fill and frost the day you serve them.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out all my easy cupcake recipes and delicious dessert recipes like churro cheesecake, easy lemon loaf, red, white, and blue cupcakes, grapefruit cupcakes, caramel frosting, and these tasty red velvet cake balls.
If you like this recipe make sure to give it a 5-star review and leave a comment down below!
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Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 2 lbs strawberries, ~8 cups, stems removed
- 6 tablespoon sugar
Cupcake
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into 12-16 chunks and softened
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Berry Frosting
- 2 cups heavy cream cold
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Strawberry Filling
- In a large bowl, using a potato masher, mash ⅓ cup of strawberries.
- Slice remaining strawberries into small chunks and add to the bowl.2 lbs strawberries,
- Add sugar and stir to coat. Allow strawberries to sit until sugar is dissolved- at least ~30 minutes.6 tablespoon sugar
Cupcakes
- Adjust oven racks to the middle of the oven and then preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low. Once combined, with the mixer on low, add the butter one chunk at a time. Mix until the mixture looks like coarse sand.*1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined. Then add in the milk and vanilla and then increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for ~3 minutes or until the batter is light and fluffy.3 large eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fill the cupcake pan ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once done baking allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
- Once cool, carefully cut out a small cone from the center of each cupcake and fill it with 1 tablespoon of strawberry filling.
Whipped Cream Berry Frosting
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla together on medium-low speed for ~1 minute. It should look foamy.2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Then increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, ~1-3 minutes.
- Carefully fold in 1 cup sugared strawberries, then spoon frosting onto the cupcakes.
Notes
- *This cupcake and the method of reverse creaming come from the cookbook The Science of Good Cooking by Cooks Illustrated, and I love it! I recommend this book to anyone who loves baking!
- You can make the cupcakes ahead of time, but I don’t recommend filling or frosting them until an hour or two before you want to eat them.
donna says
I love this strawberry mix. but can't find in any store .I live in Canada.
Lisa says
Oh no! That's a bummer! It is quite tasty- have you tried amazon?
Kunal Pahuja- Homemade Chocolates says
Great Idea. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe. Will try this for sure.
Lisa says
Yay! I hope you like it! I absolutely love them!
Kornelia Cooper says
Can you use this recipe for a cake instead of cupcakes?
Lisa says
Yep 🙂
Linda | Brunch-n-Bites says
You have an amazing collection of cupcake recipes! I can't decide between grapefruit and strawberry. And that frosting...I need it now!
Lisa says
XD Thanks! I love cupcakes maybe a little too much haha!
Jacqueline says
These cupcakes are so pretty! Great for a party! I love the combination of strawberry and chocolate!
Lisa says
I agree! It's one of my favorite combos!
Stephanie says
Ooh there's sour cream in these?? That sounds amazing! Your photos are lovely 🙂 Can't wait to try these! And my hubby doesn't like strawberry so I'll get them all to myself - hehe!
Camila says
that fudge frosting has my name written all over it, Lisa! Delicious!
Chef Mireille says
these look so light and airy. I would love these for a quick treat. Looks so delicious.
Vladka says
Never enough of cupcakes! These look like real treat. Beautiful presentation.
Stine Mari says
Ahh I believe these are so so moist (saw the magic sour cream), and strawberry and chocolate is one of my favorite combos. Yum!
Casey says
Everyone is posting Strawberry recipes this week! Loving it, because strawberry season is my favorite ever! Cannot wait to make these, plus that chocolate looks amazing, been craving chocolate for awhile now!