Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes
These Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a bridal shower or ladies’ night, and are a nice, lighter alternative to a dense chocolate cake. This is one of my favorite cupcakes!
Have you noticed all the fresh strawberries flooding the grocery stores over the past few weeks?
I’ve been buying so many cartons that I’m pretty sure I have fully supported at least one farm with my purchases alone. Before the strawberry season comes to an end *tear,* you need to make these cupcakes. Yes, you do.
Pete and I recently had a couple friends over for dinner for the very first time, and of course, I wanted to impress them with a knockout dessert. I sat down and scrolled through the dessert section of my recipe index (see? I use this blog just as much as you do), but I realized what I most wanted to make I had never posted here before….white vanilla cupcakes with a real fresh strawberry buttercream.
When it was time to bring out the dessert, I served each person TWO full sized cupcakes…because I knew that only serving one would be insulting. They’re that good. You can’t eat just one. Even when you’re counting calories, or watching what you eat (that would be me).
The secret to this delicious buttercream is actually two secrets. The first is to macerate the strawberries. You do this by cutting up the strawberries and letting them sit with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little bit of sugar. This softens the strawberries slightly, and intensifies their flavor as they absorb some of the bright lemon and sweet sugar.
Then you puree the strawberries and lemon juice, transferring them afterward to a strainer to let the excess liquid drain a bit. Then you can spoon the intensified strawberry goodness into your buttercream.
Which brings me to secret #2, which is making a real buttercream. I’m not talking about butter mixed with confectioner’s sugar. That’s not real buttercream.
To make real buttercream, you start with egg yolks and whip them until they’re very pale. Then you take a super hot sugar syrup and whisk it into the pale egg yolks with a mixer, until it gets super light and runny, like this.
Then you beat in the butter a little bit at a time until the buttercream is light and fluffy, and you add in the strawberry puree.
Pipe it onto some vanilla cupcakes (I make these white velvet cupcakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum and they’re incredible. I don’t bother making any other kind of white cupcake because I don’t think it can get better than this).
Top with some halved strawberries to make them look extra pretty. Enjoy!
Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 dozen vanilla cupcakes
- 1.5 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 egg yolks
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.5 cups unsalted butter diced
Instructions
- Combine the chopped fresh strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice, and give it a good stir. Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. This is called macerating, and we are softening the strawberries and intensifying their flavor.
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender, taking care to leave some small chunks of strawberry. Pour the mixture in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, letting some of the excess liquid drain. Set the drained pureed strawberries aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed for 8 minutes until they are very pale.
- In the meantime, combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, and let the sugar syrup simmer toward the soft ball stage, which is 238 degrees on an instant read thermometer. When both the egg yolks and the sugar syrup are ready, pour the sugar syrup into the mixing bowl (the mixer should still be on high speed), aiming as best as you can to pour between the wire whisk and the side of the bowl. Now, touch the bottom of the bowl. It’s pretty hot, right? Beat the egg yolk sugar mixture until the bowl feels neither hot nor cold (about 5 minutes). The egg yolk sugar mixture will be very runny at this point.
- Turn the mixer down to medium and add two tbsp of the strawberry puree. Add the butter, a couple cubes at a time to the bowl, over the course of 10 minutes. Wait until each installment of butter is absorbed until you add the next batch. Do a final taste and see if you would like to add any more strawberry puree. Pipe or spread your buttercream on your cupcakes, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
80 Comments on “Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes”
These sound absolutely yummy and look wonderful, you did a great job of “selling” them with your pictures. I’m adding these to the list for my husband’s upcoming b-day, they’ll be perfect. Thanks for sharing.
A quick question. Were I to make this recipe sans strawberries, would there be a problem with the consistency of the product? I have been hunting for an ultimate buttercream recipe — you know, the one that your child requests on her birthday or your friend asks for his birthday. What do you think? There is a large volume of strawberries and, absent the strawberries, I wonder if if would be too thin. I really want to make your recipe and have success the first time out of the gate. I am thinking EASTER for these babies. Any suggestions?
Hi Dawn, no issues with the consistency if you don’t add the strawberries. Definitely need to substitute something else for flavor though. Maybe some vanilla extract? Almond extract? Or you could make it something like chocolate or peanut butter!
Gorgeous! The buttercream sounds so decadent, and I am loving all the strawberries lately!
I had this post open when a strawberry-loving friend walked by, and she flipped right out. “Um, yes, I think you should make those. Tonight!” she bellowed.
I don’t know about tonight, but they’re on the to-be-baked list!
This is a real over the moon recipe. I will use it this week for my sister’s birthday. Joanne’s REAL buttercream icing has become my top list icing recipe. I’ve based it for various flavours like adding real chocolate from bitter to semi sweet and even a bit os strong coffee with chosolate for a lovely mocha taste. Now this fab strawberry icing on my all time favourite white velvet cupcake…..another amazing recipe!!
Cool, it’s great to hear of all the variations you have done!
Ok, I made buttercream with just butter and sugar, I also made with egg whites, syrup and butter…but never ever I did with egg yolks…what a recipe…!!!
The egg yolks add a really lovely richness!
Mmm…looks delicious! Do you think that you could possibly put some strawberry into the cake as well, to add more strawberry flavor?
Hi Myrtle, I have never done a strawberry cake before, mostly because Rose (the queen of baking cakes) said that she’s never been able to make a good one. The weight and acidity of the fruit apparently makes for a subpar texture. I’m sure there are recipes out there, but I have never tried one. I find the white cupcakes to have a great taste regardless. If you find a knockout strawberry cake, let us all know =)
Oh, man…those look amazing! I’m like you – I use the confectioners sugar, butter recipe frequently…but NOTHING beats REAL buttercream! Bravo, Joanne! This one is a winner!
This recipe sounds fabulous. About the icing, is it safe for kids since we are using raw yolks? or the sugar cooks it? Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Fiona, another reader had the same question, this is what I said: “I think Jan above has the right idea, but I will have to try making it to see what temperature the 240 sugar syrup brings the eggs to. I eat raw eggs frequently so I haven’t thought to measure the mixture. I’m not sure if the issue with the raw eggs is just the salmonella, but I know of friends who use pasteurized eggs and they would probably work well here. Just please note this is not professional advice, as I do not know what the restrictions of eating while pregnant are. I will try to get back to you soon!”
My name is Carrian, and I’m a strawberry addict. It was really hard coming here today, but my husband said it was time. I just feel like,
oh! Sorry, wrong place for this huh? 😉
hahaha! You and me both, Carrian =)
The REAL buttercream, and with strawberries, no less. If there was ever a time I would want to make a 6 egg yolk recipe, THIS Is the one! I would love to lick that mixing bowl 🙂
Oh wow – what a delicious use of those fresh strawberries! Love this!
This looks like it’ll be my new favorite strawberry frosting!
Looks fantastic, Joanne!!
Exactly what was looking for! Pinning!
These sound amazing! One question though—is there a way to substitute the eggs in the buttercream so that the consistency is about the same? I’m pregnant, so eating raw eggs isn’t really in the diet code at the moment. 🙁 Thanks!
Kristen, I may be speaking out of turn, but I believe beating the hot sugar syrup mixture into the raw egg yolks will cook them. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
I definitely want to try this soon! Looks delicious.
I think Jan above has the right idea, but I will have to try making it to see what temperature the 240 sugar syrup brings the eggs to. I eat raw eggs frequently so I haven’t thought to measure the mixture. I’m not sure if the issue with the raw eggs is just the salmonella, but I know of friends who use pasteurized eggs and they would probably work well here. Just please note this is not professional advice, as I do not know what the restrictions of eating while pregnant are. I will try to get back to you soon!