Skip to Content

Light and Fluffy Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Light and Fluffy Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Cupcakes on table with fresh strawberries and sprinkles pinit
Cupcakes on table with fresh strawberries and sprinkles

Yesterday I shared my fresh strawberry buttercream recipe and today I am sharing the recipe for my fresh strawberry cupcakes. These two make the perfect pair! This cupcake recipe is so light and fluffy with a sponge like consistency. The perfect vessel to showcase the fresh strawberries in the cakes and in the buttercream. This recipe was inspired by the light sponge cake in the Milk Bar birthday cake.

Fresh strawberry cupcakes ingredients

  • Unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • Granulated sugar
  • Whole egg
  • Egg yolk
  • Canola oil
  • Buttercream
  • Clear vanilla extract
  • Cake flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Fresh strawberry buttercream to top the cupcakes
Fresh strawberry cupcake ingredients

Ingredient substitutes

Buttermilk

If you do not have buttermilk on hand you can always make your own using whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1/4 cup of whole milk and set aside. I would recommend doing this before you start making the cupcakes so the acid has enough time to curdle the milk.

Cake flour

All purpose flour can be substituted for cake flour in this recipe. Cake flour will result in a lighter cake than all purpose flour, but both work fine in this recipe.

Canola oil

Canola oil can be substituted with any neutral (mild flavor) oil. Vegetable oil or grapeseed oil would be my top two replacement recommendations.

Clear vanilla extract

Clear vanilla extract can be a little harder to find than the standard dark vanilla extract. If you do not have clear vanilla extract on hand, dark vanilla extract can be used. Clear vanilla extract has a more light and creamy vanilla flavor, where dark vanilla extract has a more cozy and moody flavor. Using the dark vanilla extract will not impact the deliciousness of your cupcakes. They will still be great!

Strawberries

This recipe works well with any fresh summer berry.

The process

strawberry cupcake batter in bowl with lined muffin pan in front

These cupcakes do take a little longer to come together than a standard simple cupcake. That is due to the amount of creaming and beating time in this recipe. Taking your time during the creaming and beating process is what will give you that light fluffy cake. So be patient when mixing your batter and allow the ingredients times to come together.

You should see a noticeable difference in the color of your batter from when you first start creaming the butter and sugar. The mixture will be much paler, almost white. The same thing will occur once you add the eggs and oil and continue to beat your mixture.

Another key to ensuring your cupcakes come out light and fluffy is to add the buttercream in SLOWLY! The buttercream and the batter will not want to be friends at first. Buttermilk contains a lot of water that will make your beautiful batter want to separate. The batter up until now if full of oil from both the butter and the canola oil you have used. And you know how well oil and water get along…..(they don’t at all). This is why it is important to slowly stream in the buttermilk a little at a time so it has a chance to incorporate into the batter, rather than split it.

Plate of strawberry cupcakes

Looking for other delicious cupcake recipes?

Check out these from my recipe archives.

small batch fresh raspberry cupcake
Small Batch Raspberry Cupcakes
pineapple pecan cupcake with wrapper pulled down
Pineapple Pecan Cupcakes

Made these? Show us your pictures by tagging us on social media and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Pinterest graphic

Light and Fluffy Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 25 min Total Time 40 mins Servings: 10

Description

These light and fluffy cupcakes have fresh strawberries folded into the batter and pair perfectly with our fresh strawberry buttercream!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F

  2. Line 10 holes of a cupcake pan and set aside

  3. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes

  4. Add whole egg and beat until combined

  5. Add egg yolk and beat until combined

  6. With the mixer on low speed, stream in the canola oil toward the center of the bowl. Then turn the mixer to high and beat for 4-6 minutes until white, light and fluffy

  7. In a small container mix the buttermilk and vanilla extract 

  8. With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the buttermilk mixture a little at a time until fully combined

  9. In a small bowl, mix the cake flour, baking powder and salt

  10. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Do not over mix

  11. Fold in the diced strawberries until just combined

  12. Divid the batter between the 10 lined cupcake pan holes. Filling 2/3 full

  13. Bake at 350F  for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

  14. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling

  15. If desired, once cool frost with fresh strawberry buttercream

Keywords: Cupcakes, Strawberry

Did you try this recipe? Tag us in your pics!