Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
These strawberry stuffed cupcakes have a strawberry filling, strawberries in the cupcake batter, and a strawberry cream cheese frosting. They are moist, fluffy, and a strawberry lover’s dream!
As I type this, we are in the middle of an extremely cold February. No vacation plans are in the calendar and I am longing for some warm weather and sunshine.
These strawberry cupcakes are born out of a deep longing for those sweet early summer days when juicy strawberries are plentiful. The warm months will be here soon enough, but in the meantime, let’s enjoy these sweet strawberry cupcakes!
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use fresh or frozen strawberries, so if the cost of strawberries is a bit hefty, grab a bag of frozen strawberries to save yourself some money!
Ingredients
- strawberries – Fresh or frozen work here. Wash and dice them up. You’ll use them to add to the cupcake batter, as the center filling, and to the cream cheese frosting.
- lemon juice – This is added to the strawberry filling that you make.
- cornstarch – The cornstarch thickens the filling–just a little goes a long way!
- granulated sugar – This is used to add to the filling for sweetener and is used to sweeten the cupcakes.
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- melted butter – I use salted butter because that’s what I keep on hand. If you only have unsalted butter, increase the salt you add to 1/2 teaspoon total.
- egg whites – Egg whites make these cupcakes light and fluffy. Remove the yolks and save them for tomorrow’s omelet. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature for the best cupcake texture.
- sour cream – Make sure your sour cream is at room temperature. If you don’t have sour cream, plain full-fat Greek yogurt works as well!
- milk – I recommend whole milk, but in a pinch, any dairy milk should work here. The whole milk ensures soft, fluffy cupcakes. Again, make sure this is at room temperature.
- powdered sugar – This is what sweetens the strawberry cream cheese frosting (along with the strawberry filling).
- cream cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is softened. I use full-fat block-style cream cheese.
- butter – Make sure the butter is softened. Again, I use salted butter, if you’re using unsalted, add a pinch extra of salt.
- salt
- vanilla extract
- freeze-dried strawberries – This is optional, but to add a bit more color to the frosting, I add a couple of tablespoons of crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Alternatively, you can add food coloring.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step One: Wash, hull, and dice the strawberries. Add them to a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice, cornstarch, and granulated sugar.
Step Two: Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously. The strawberry filling is done when the sauce has thickened and is no longer thin. Remove from heat and allow it to cool as you prepare the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Three: Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes, so you’ll want to line two muffin tins or bake the first 12 then the next 3). Set the muffin tin aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step Four: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar.
Step Five: Whisk the egg whites into the creamed butter and sugar.
Step Six: Fold in the sour cream. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the large mixing bowl of wet ingredients: first add half the flour, folding in with a rubber spatula, fold in half the milk, then add the rest of the flour mixture and milk. Finally, add 1/2 cup of the strawberry filling.
Step Seven: Fill the muffin pan about 3/4 full with cupcake batter. Bake for about 20 minutes.
Step Eight: Stick a toothpick in the center of a few cupcakes. If the toothpick doesn’t have any wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine), they are ready to come out of the oven. Allow them to cool completely before moving on to the next step.
Step Nine: Once they’re cooled, use a piping tip to remove the center of the cupcakes. Allow about 1/2 inch of cupcake at the bottom, we don’t want to core all the way down through the cupcake–just enough to add some strawberry filling.
Step Ten: Stuff each cupcake with about a teaspoon of strawberry filling. You can transfer the filling to a piping bag to do this or just use a spoon.
Step Eleven: Make the strawberry frosting. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese for about two minutes. Add the vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Scrape the edges of the bowl to ensure you incorporate all the powdered sugar. Finally, add the remaining strawberry filling (about 1/4 cup).
Step Twelve: Transfer the strawberry cream cheese frosting to a piping bag. Pipe the cupcakes with frosting. Top with halved strawberries if desired. Enjoy!
Storage
Store any leftover cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips for Making These Cupcakes the BEST!
- Avoid Overmixing the Batter. I don’t use an electric mixer when I make cake because I like to be in control of my mixing. Mix the ingredients in until *just* combined to ensure you have a light, fluffy, moist cupcake.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients. Make sure the eggs, sour cream, and milk are all room temperature. Otherwise, you will get a lumpy cupcake batter and a denser cupcake crumb. Room temperature ingredients again ensure that your cupcakes are light and fluffy!
- Be Mindful as You Core the Cupcakes. I like using a piping tip because I have more control over how much cake I’m removing, but you can also use a knife. Just make sure you aren’t removing the cake to the bottom. Allow 1/2 inch of cupcake at the bottom to hold the filling in your cupcake. Also, make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before coring and filling them!
Looking for more spring-inspired desserts? Check these out:
- Buttermilk Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
- Sourdough Cake Pops
- Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls
- Lemon Lavender Scones
Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 1 pound strawberries 4 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries, diced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice the juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Strawberry Cupcakes
- 8 tablespoons melted butter salted, if using unsalted, add an extra 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup strawberry filling (from the homemade strawberry filling)
Strawberry Filling
- 15 teaspoons strawberry filling
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese block cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup strawberry filling the remainder of the filling
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried strawberries optional to add for a brighter color
Instructions
- Wash, hull, and dice the strawberries, then add them to a medium saucepan with lemon juice, cornstarch, and granulated sugar.
- Cook on the stove over medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes, so use two tins or bake in batches).
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar. Whisk in the egg whites until well combined. Fold in the sour cream.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the wet ingredients: first half the flour, then half the milk, then the remaining flour and milk. Finally, fold in ½ cup of the strawberry filling.
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick—if it comes out clean or with moist crumbs, they’re ready. Let cupcakes cool completely.
- Once cooled, use a piping tip to remove the centers, leaving about ½ inch at the bottom to hold the filling. Fill each cupcake with about a teaspoon of strawberry filling using a piping bag or spoon.
- For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add vanilla, a pinch of salt, and powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the remaining ¼ cup of strawberry filling and crushed freeze-dried strawberries (optional, for color).
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes. Garnish with halved strawberries if desired. Enjoy!
These strawberry-filled cupcakes were a hit with family and neighbors that we shared them with. If you make them, I would love to hear your thoughts!