Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting
- By Amy Dong
- Updated May. 4, 2025
These Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting are one of my favorite things to bake for parties, showers, and sharing with friends. The crumb is so moist and tender, and the strawberry whipped cream frosting is simply divine.
In This Article
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Video: watch us make this Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
I’ve made these Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting more times than I can count and they’re a total showstopper! Here’s why this recipe works:
- Bursting with Real Strawberries: Like my Fresh Strawberry Cake, I love that these use actual strawberries – nothing artificial. The fruity flavor is fresh, bright, and carries through every bite and swirl of frosting.
- Tender, Moist Crumb: The combo of Greek yogurt, whole milk, and melted butter makes the cupcakes unbelievably soft and perfectly fluffy. It’s one of our favorite recipes for Mother’s Day!
- Light, Luscious Frosting: That whipped cream frosting is stabilized with gelatin, so it holds its shape while staying light, airy, and packed with strawberry flavor. It’s a lot like our Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe.
- Crowd Favorite Every Time: Girlfriends declare these the best cupcakes they’ve ever had. You’ll be asked for the recipe.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries – We use ripe, finely minced fresh strawberries to infuse each cupcake with sweet, juicy flavor and natural pink color.
- Greek Strawberry Yogurt – This whole milk yogurt adds a boost of strawberry flavor while keeping the cupcakes extra moist and tender.
- Whole Milk – Whole milk contributes to a soft, velvety cupcake texture and helps bring the batter together.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – This is the base of our whipped frosting. It whips up light, airy, and perfectly creamy when chilled well.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries – These concentrated strawberry bits get blended into a fine powder for the frosting, adding bold berry flavor and a naturally beautiful pink hue.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are some of our flavor substitutions and variations:
- Berries: We love fresh strawberries in these cupcakes, but you can also use raspberries, blueberries, or finely chopped cherries. Just make sure to pat them dry so the batter doesn’t get too wet.
- Yogurt Swap: The strawberry Greek yogurt adds moisture and subtle flavor, but plain Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, or even sour cream work just as well in a pinch.
- Frosting Flavor: Freeze-dried strawberries give the whipped cream real berry flavor, but you can experiment with freeze-dried raspberries or blueberries too.
- Chocolate Chips: Of course, you can add chocolate chips into the batter.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Line muffin tins with paper liners and set oven to preheat at 350°F. Then whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar, then stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet just until combined. Gently fold in minced strawberries and their juices.
- Divide batter evenly into lined muffin cups and bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Blend freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder and set aside. Chill your mixing bowl and beaters briefly.
- Mix gelatin with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, let sit 1 minute, then microwave 20 seconds until dissolved. Let cool slightly.
- Beat cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and strawberry powder to soft peaks. Slowly pour in warm gelatin while beating to stiff peaks. Keep frosting chilled until ready to use.
- Frost your strawberry cupcakes and serve.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
- Make the Cupcakes Completely: You can bake the strawberry cupcakes up to 2 days ahead. Once fully cooled, store them in an airtight container at mild room temperature. If your kitchen runs warm or humid, refrigerate instead and bring to room temperature before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: The whipped cream frosting can be made 1 day in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Before frosting, give it a gentle whisk to revive the texture if needed but don’t overbeat.
- Freeze Cupcakes: Unfrosted cupcakes freeze beautifully. Once cooled, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or a few hours at room temperature before frosting.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones?
While it’s always best to use fresh strawberries for this recipe, you can use frozen strawberries as a last resort. However, make sure to thaw and drain them well before mincing and adding to the batter.
How do I know when the cupcakes are done?
You can test the doneness of the cupcakes by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs attached, they are done.
How long do the cupcakes with whipped cream frosting keep?
Frosted cupcakes will keep well at moderate room temperature for several hours, or cover and keep chilled if the room temperature is too warm. Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
Did you make this?
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting
These fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting are superior in moistness, tenderness, and they are bursting with strawberry flavor! The strawberry whipped cream frosting is simply divine, tastes amazing, and a must-do.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 10 oz fresh ripe strawberries, towel-dried and finely minced
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten and room temp
- ¼ cup Greek strawberry yogurt, whole
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 4 TB powdered sugar
- 2 tsp plain gelatin, Knox
- 1.2 oz freeze dried strawberries, I get mine from Trader Joes and Super Target
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line standard muffin pans with liners. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Whisk together until well combined. With a wooden spoon, stir in beaten eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Carefully combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. Fold with spatula just until no lumps remain, but do not overmix. Gently fold in the minced strawberries and its juices until combined.
- Divide batter evenly into lined muffin pan. Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Let cool in muffin tin, on top of wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- While cupcakes cool, make the frosting: In a blender or small processor, blend freeze dried strawberries until finely ground into a powder. Set aside.
- Place mixing bowl and beaters in freezer for a couple minutes to get them very cold.
- In a small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 TB water and allow gelatin to dissolve and soak up the water, about 1 minute. Microwave for 20 seconds to melt gelatin mixture. Set aside.
- In cold mixing bowl, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and the strawberry powder. Beat until it reaches soft peaks. Check that melted gelatin is no longer hot, but a warm liquid if it has firmed up, microwave 10 seconds and stir until just warm.
- Continue to beat whipped cream to stiff peaks, while gradually pouring liquid gelatin directly into the beaters. This will stabilize your whipped cream so that it does not become runny and keeps its shape well!
- Keep chilled until ready to frost. Frosted cupcakes will keep well at moderate room temperature for several hours, or cover and keep chilled if room temp is too warm.
Notes
- Make sure your strawberries are ripe and towel-dried before mincing. This will give your cupcakes a fresh, juicy strawberry flavor without making the batter too wet.
- When combining your dry and wet ingredients, remember to fold gently. This will help your cupcakes to be light and fluffy, rather than dense.
- Always check your cupcakes at the 20-minute mark, as every oven is different. Over-baking can make them dry, so a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, but not over-bake.
- For the frosting, make sure your heavy whipping cream is very cold. This will help it to reach stiff peaks more easily.
- Stabilize your whipped cream frosting with gelatin. This simple step will keep your frosting from becoming runny and will help it hold its shape, even in warmer temperatures.
- This recipe is part of our Cake and Cupcake Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg
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