:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20250213-SEA-StrawberryCupcakes-JenCausey-Beauty1-22-9d74cf3e250d4224b442c27e98466b51.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1440&ssl=1 "How you can Make Strawberry Cupcakes That Are Berry, Berry Good")
Why It Works
- Creaming room temperature butter with sugar aerates the cake, giving it a effective, even crumb.
- Utilizing underripe berries present a tangy sweetness with out including extra moisture.
- Freeze-dried strawberries give the frosting a rosy pink hue and fruity taste.
I spend quite a lot of time dreaming of all of the great issues I could make when native strawberries can be found—that is summer season the place I stay within the Northeast, however fortunate folks in different components of the nation get native strawberries a lot, a lot earlier. On the high of my listing for my haul when strawberry season arrives—in addition to the standard suspects like pie, crisp, and compote—are these attractive strawberry cupcakes.
Topped with a rosy pink buttercream and freeze-dried strawberries, these vanilla-scented cupcakes are gentle, tender, and speckled with recent strawberries. They’d make a pleasant contribution to a picnic, potluck, or special day. The recipe for this cute dessert comes from Melissa Grey, our Birmingham, Alabama-based take a look at kitchen colleague, who was decided to give you cupcakes that not solely look fairly however are additionally actually bursting with strawberry taste. After making a number of batches, she lastly landed on a model she was proud of: a gentle vanilla cake with delicate tartness from bitter cream and loads of candy, tangy taste from just-ripe strawberries. Right here’s easy methods to make your personal at dwelling.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
3 Suggestions for Flavorful Strawberry Cupcakes
Cream the butter and sugar effectively—and use room temperature elements. Butter is most pliable at cool room temperature, making it straightforward to beat with the sugar. Creaming butter and sugar collectively helps entice little air bubbles within the batter; because the cake bakes, these bubbles broaden, serving to to leaven the cake. Since you’re utilizing softened butter, it’s important to verify your different elements are all room temperature. Including chilly eggs, bitter cream, and milk will seize the butter and break the emulsion of creamed butter and sugar, giving the cake an uneven crumb.
Use barely underripe strawberries within the cake batter. Ripe berries are scrumptious, however not nice for baking. The juicier the berries, the extra water they comprise—and the extra water they will launch when cooked. For that reason, we suggest utilizing berries which might be simply starting to ripen and nonetheless have a white ring across the hull.
For a extra flavorful frosting, incorporate freeze-dried strawberries. To offer the buttercream a daring however balanced berry taste, we incorporate crushed freeze-dried strawberries, which have quite a lot of taste however little or no moisture. The dried fruit provides the frosting a candy, tart taste with out affecting the thick, creamy texture of the frosty. As a bonus, additionally they flip the frosting a stunning shade of pink.
This recipe was developed by Melissa Grey; the headnote was written by Genevieve Yam.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
How you can Make Strawberry Cupcakes That Are Berry, Berry Good
Prepare dinner Mode
(Preserve display awake)
For the Cupcakes:
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6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (192 g; 1 1/2 cups)
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
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4 ounces unsalted butter (113 g; 1 stick), at room temperature
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5 1/4 ounces granulated sugar (150 g; 3/4 cup)
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1 massive egg, at room temperature
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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2 ounces bitter cream (60 g; 1/4 cup), at room temperature
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2 ounces entire milk (60 g; 1/4 cup), at room temperature
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3 ounces finely chopped recent strawberries (85 g; 1/2 cup)
For the Strawberry Frosting:
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6 ounces unsalted butter (170 g; 12 tablespoons), at room temperature
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1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
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1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
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12 ounces unsifted confectioners’ sugar (340 g; 3 cups)
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3 tablespoons heavy cream (1 1/2 ounces; 45 g)
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2 tablespoons (10 g) crushed freeze-dried strawberries
To Garnish:
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Halved recent strawberries
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Crushed freeze-dried strawberries
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Regulate oven rack to center place, and preheat to 350°F (175ºC). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; put aside. Match a piping bag with desired piping tip for frosting; put aside.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
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Put together the Cupcakes: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt collectively; put aside. Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium pace till creamy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as wanted, 2 to three minutes. Add sugar and beat on medium pace till gentle and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low pace, add egg and vanilla, and beat till simply mixed, about 15 seconds.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
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In a spouted measuring cup, stir collectively bitter cream and entire milk. With mixer on low pace, regularly add flour combination, alternating with bitter cream combination, and beat till simply mixed after every addition, about 1 minute. Utilizing a versatile spatula, fold in strawberries till evenly mixed, about 15 seconds. Evenly divide batter between ready muffin cups, about 1/4 cup (about 2 ounces; 57g) every. Clear and dry mixer bowl. (Alternatively, batter may be ready in a big bowl with an electrical hand mixer.)
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
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Bake till a cake tester or wood decide inserted into middle comes out clear, about 20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in tray on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Take away cupcakes from tray; let cool fully on wire rack, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
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In the meantime, put together the frosting: Within the now-clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter and salt on medium pace till pale and creamy, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as wanted. Beat in vanilla till simply mixed. With mixer on low pace, regularly add confectioners’ sugar, and beat till mixed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add cream and crushed freeze-dried strawberries, and beat on medium pace till fluffy and mixed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Switch frosting to ready piping bag. Put aside at room temperature till prepared to make use of.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
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Pipe frosting on high of every cooled cupcake till fully lined. (Alternatively, use an offset spatula to unfold frosting on high of every cupcake till fully lined.) Garnish with strawberry halves and crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
Critical Eats / Jen Causey
Particular Gear
12-cup muffin tray, paper liners, piping bag and piping tip or offset spatula, stand mixer, wire rack
Make-Forward and Storage
Frosted cupcakes with out the recent and dried strawberry garnish may be saved in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days or refrigerated for as much as 1 week. If refrigerating, let cupcakes come to room temperature earlier than serving.
Unfrosted cupcakes may be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw for 4 to eight hours in a single day at room temperature.
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