Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe + Video
This strawberry cupcakes recipe creates pink cupcakes just like the box. They are fluffy, moist, and made from scratch with strawberry jam for a nice fruit flavor.
Strawberries don’t have to be in season for you to make these strawberry cupcakes with jam, although you can make a fresh strawberry reduction, if desired. If you prefer chunks of fruit in your cupcakes, you can try my Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes instead.
Valentine’s Day Strawberry Cake
Growing up my mom would make this strawberry cake with jello for Valentine’s Day every year. It was easy to make with a box cake mix and the strawberry gelatin powder really made the fruit flavor pop.
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Mom would bake the cake batter in two heart shaped cake pans and stack it for a layer cake. It felt really special and was something we’d look forward to every year. It is still a favorite cake of ours, but it’s fun to re-create some classic recipes in new ways.
Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
I Iove cupcakes for their individual servings. Cupcakes are like a mini dessert that feels special because of the beautifully piped frosting on top. Unlike my mom’s recipe, I wanted to make these strawberry cupcakes without jello or a cake mix.
This easy strawberry cupcakes recipe is pink just like you’d get from a box of strawberry cake mix, but uses real strawberries in the form of jam, and just a hint of food coloring to make it more vibrant.
Ingredients
There are 10 ingredients in this recipe, but you probably already have most of what you need to make these pink strawberry cupcakes.
- All-Purpose Flour – Provides structure for the cupcakes. Sifting the flour helps create a fine crumb.
- Baking Powder – To provide leavening, making the cupcakes fluffy and light.
- Salt – To enhance flavors.
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the cake.
- Oil – To add moisture and create an even crumb. Use neutral tasting oil like canola or vegetable.
- Eggs – To add richness, structure, and leavening.
- Vanilla Extract – To enhance flavors.
- Buttermilk – Adds a slight tang and helps create a tender crumb. You can make this by combining regular milk with white vinegar. (See notes in recipe card below.)
- Strawberry Jam – Use one that looks thick and has little to no added sugar. I like to use Smucker’s Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread.
- Red Food Coloring – Optional. This boosts the pink color of the cake.
How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes
After you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to make strawberry cupcakes.
First, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the sugar with the oil in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
- Add the strawberry jam, vanilla, and food coloring. Stir well.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients.
- Add all of the buttermilk. Stir to combine.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
Baking
Divide the batter into paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full with a #24 scoop.
Bake the strawberry cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 375˚F for high altitude) for 15-18 minutes until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting for Strawberry Cupcakes
After the strawberry cupcakes have cooled, you can top them with your favorite frosting. I would recommend one of these:
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Buttercream with Jam
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Frosting Recipe
- Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Storage and Tips for Homemade Strawberry Cupcakes
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature up 3 days. Unfrosted cupcakes will last up to 5 days.
Cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Be sure to let the cupcakes sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before consuming, to take the chill off the cake.
Can I use fresh strawberries for these cupcakes? You can definitely make your own jam with fresh strawberries for these cupcakes. You will need to make it ahead of time and allow it to cool completely before using it. Don’t just pureé the strawberries and throw them in. Jam has a more concentrated flavor from the strawberries cooking down and reducing. Try my low sugar strawberry freezer jam. It’s easy to make in the microwave.
Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cups (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (101 g) natural strawberry preserves, (fruit spread or low-sugar jam)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 drop red food coloring
- ⅔ cup (159 ml) buttermilk*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 375˚F for high altitude). Line muffin tins with paper liners.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
- Add the strawberry jam, vanilla, and food coloring. Stir well.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients.
- Add all of the buttermilk. Stir to combine.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- Divide batter into paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full with a #24 scoop.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 375˚F for high altitude) for 15-18 minutes until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Then top with your preferred frosting.
Video
Notes
- Homemade Buttermilk: Combine 2/3 cup regular milk with 2 tsp distilled white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- These cupcakes are topped with my Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. You might also like my Strawberry Buttercream Frosting.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Hey, the cupcakes were great! But I felt like the strawberry flavor was kind of lacking. So, I added 1 teaspoon of strawberry emulsion (it was like $10 from Michael’s) and the flavor was so much better! And I added a little less food coloring so the color wasn’t as harsh. Other than that they were great! Thanks for the recipe!
Yes, I try and develop recipes with simple ingredients that most people have, but I’m sure the strawberry flavor is more robust with the strawberry emulsion. Pairing these with either of my strawberry frostings usually helps amp up that strawberry flavor too. Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe.
How to make strawberry spread with low or no sugar for this recipe?
I used the Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread from Smucker’s. You can see the jar of it in this post for Strawberry Frosting: https://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/strawberry-buttercream-frosting/. Otherwise you could make my Low Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam (it’s easy to do in the microwave): https://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/low-sugar-strawberry-freezer-jam-tips-tricks-to-setting-jam/
Planning to make this recipe for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, I need 36 cupcakes, would you suggest tripling ingredients and batch out between 3 cupcake tins?
Just be careful not to overfill the cupcake tins. It’s better to discard the extra batter than have a big mess.