A classic, built from our recipes

Strawberry Cream Cupcakes

Real-strawberry cupcakes with a vanilla pastry cream center, vanilla whipped cream and a sliced strawberry on each. Keep them cold until serving.

Make it your own in the Dessert Builder
Strawberry Cream Cupcakes

What it's made of

CupcakesStrawberry Cupcakes Center fillingVanilla Pastry Cream FrostingVanilla Whipped Cream Frosting FinishFresh Strawberry Finish
Makes 12 cupcakes Active 1 hr 46 minChill or rest 3 hr 0 minParts 4
Contains milk, egg, wheat (check labels)

Each part is a full recipe as written; the Dessert Builder scales them to fit this cupcakes and merges the shopping list. Open it with the button above to adjust servings or swap any part.

Ingredients

Strawberry CupcakesCupcakes · makes 12 cupcakes

  • 1.0 cupfresh or frozen strawberries (150.0 g)
  • 1.5 cupsall-purpose flour (190.0 g)
  • 1.5 tspbaking powder (6.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt (1.5 g)
  • 0.5 cupunsalted butter, softened (113.0 g)
  • 0.75 cupgranulated sugar (150.0 g)
  • 2.0 large eggs (100.0 g)
  • 2.0 tsppure vanilla extract (10.0 ml)
  • 0.25 cupwhole milk (60.0 ml)

Vanilla Pastry CreamCenter filling · makes 12 servings

  • 2.5 cupswhole milk (568.0 g)
  • 0.667 cupgranulated sugar (132.0 g)
  • 0.25 cupcornstarch (28.0 g)
  • 6.0 large egg yolks (108.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt (1.5 g)
  • 0.5 cupunsalted butter, cold and cubed (113.0 g)
  • 0.5 VanillaGoods vanilla bean, split and scraped (2.0 g)

Vanilla Whipped Cream FrostingFrosting · makes 24 cupcakes

  • 2.0 cupsheavy cream, cold (480.0 ml)
  • 0.5 cupconfectioners' sugar, sifted (60.0 g)
  • 0.125 tspfine sea salt
  • 2.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (10.0 ml)

Fresh Strawberry FinishFinish · makes 12 servings

  • 1.0 lbfresh strawberries (450.0 g)
  • 2.0 tbspgranulated sugar (25.0 g)
  • 1.0 tsppure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)
  • 1.0 tspfresh lemon juice (5.0 ml)

Method

1. Strawberry Cupcakesfull recipe

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Puree the strawberries and simmer in a small pan 10 minutes until reduced to 1/3 cup; cool.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter and sugar 3 minutes, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then the cooled puree. Add the flour alternating with the milk, mixing just until smooth.
  4. Divide the batter between the liners, about two-thirds full. Bake 18 to 21 minutes until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then on a rack.

2. Vanilla Pastry Creamfull recipe

  1. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean heatproof bowl and keep it beside the stove.
  2. Warm the milk with the split and scraped vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat until it is steaming and small bubbles appear around the edge. Do not let it boil hard. The milk should be hot enough to steam steadily but not scorch on the bottom.
  3. While the milk heats, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth and slightly lighter in color. There should be no visible pockets of dry cornstarch.
  4. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, then pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan while whisking. Adding the hot milk gradually keeps the eggs from scrambling.
  5. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens and bubbles break through the center. Continue cooking for 1 minute, still whisking; if you check with a thermometer, the cream should reach at least 165°F (74°C). The pastry cream should look glossy, thick, and hold the tracks of the whisk for a moment.
  6. Press the hot pastry cream through the sieve, removing the vanilla pod if present. Add the cold butter a few pieces at a time and stir until the cream is smooth. The finished cream should be glossy with no visible lumps.
  7. Transfer the pastry cream to a clean shallow heatproof container. Press parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate promptly until thoroughly cold, at least 3 hours. Whisk briefly before piping or spreading if the chilled cream feels very firm.

3. Vanilla Whipped Cream Frostingfull recipe

  1. Pour the cold cream into a chilled bowl and add the confectioners' sugar and salt.
  2. Add the vanilla and whip on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, 2 to 4 minutes. Stop as soon as the peaks hold; overwhipped cream turns grainy.
  3. Frost a completely cooled cake or cupcakes and refrigerate until serving.

4. Fresh Strawberry Finishfull recipe

  1. Rinse and dry the strawberries, hull them and slice lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick; halve small ones.
  2. Toss with the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl.
  3. Let stand 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the slices turn glossy.
  4. Lift the berries out of their juice and arrange them over the dessert just before serving; spoon a little of the juice over if you like.

5. Put it together

  1. Bake the Strawberry Cupcakes and cool completely in the pan for 10 minutes, then on a rack.
  2. Make the Vanilla Pastry Cream and chill it until thick enough to pipe.
  3. Core each cupcake: cut a cone about 3/4 inch wide and three-quarters of the way down with a paring knife or an apple corer. Trim the cones into lids.
  4. Pipe or spoon the Vanilla Pastry Cream into each hole, set the lids back on and press gently.
  5. Make the Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting and pipe or spread it over each cupcake.
  6. Finish with the Fresh Strawberry Finish.