These Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes have super yummy fruit flavor, are a great option for a first birthday or toddler birthday, and are the prettiest pale shade of pink!
Strawberry Cupcakes
I first made these cupcakes when my oldest daughter turned three and we shared them with a few friends. My girl was obsessed with pink then, so these pale pink cupcakes were made with that love in mind. But I also was happy to offer her a festive birthday treat that had real berries inside!
I use fresh strawberries to make a puree that delivers a big burst of fresh berry flavor in these. It’s a lovely cupcake recipe for kids to make in the spring when berries are plentiful—or simply if you have a kiddo who likes strawberries or the color pink.
The cupcakes are lightly sweetened with maple syrup, making them a nice option for a first birthday.
Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- Flour
- Strawberries
- Coconut oil or butter
- Maple syrup or honey
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Salt
- Cream cheese, butter, strawberry jam, and powdered sugar for the frosting
TIP: You can use a gluten-free cup for cup flour if needed in this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making these cupcakes. (Scroll down for the full recipe.)
- Add the berries to a food processor or blender.
- Grind to make a puree. (It’s okay if there are small pieces of berries and if it’s not totally smooth.)
- Measure out the amount you need.
- Add the puree to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Portion out into a muffin tin lined with paper cupcake liners.
- Bake and let cool! Frost.
TIP: I use a cream cheese frosting in this recipe, but you can use a favorite buttercream too if you prefer!
What makes these cupcakes moist?
The cup of fresh strawberry puree makes these cupcakes both moist and flavorful.
How do you thicken strawberry frosting?
This frosting is made with a base of cream cheese and butter, so you don’t need much help to thicken it. I use a little powdered sugar to make sure it tastes just sweet enough!
How can I store these cupcakes?
Store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To make these ahead, store the cupcakes, once cooled and without frosting, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Frost right before serving.
Tips for Making the Best Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
- You can make the puree up to 3 days ahead. (This makes this recipe really easy!)
- Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack or tilt in the pan to allow air underneath to more quickly cool them down and prevent them from over-baking.
- Let the cupcakes cool before adding the icing.
- To make these ahead, store the cupcakes, fully cooled and without frosting, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Frost right before serving.
- Store any leftover frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- You may also like Banana Cupcakes, Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes, and Easy Chocolate Cupcakes.
I’d love to hear what you think if you make this recipe so please comment below to share!
Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Berries
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 12 oz fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam or preserves
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Wash the berries and remove the stems. Puree in a food processor or blender. You should have about 1 cup.
- Combine the butter (or oil) and maple syrup in a glass, heat-proof measuring cup. Warm in 15 second increments in the microwave, stopping to stir, until the butter (or oil) is melted. Let cool slightly.
- Stir in the vanilla, eggs, and strawberry puree.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Stir in the puree mixture.
- Fill the prepared liners with the batter to about ¾ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the frosting:
- Use an electric hand-held mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter, jam, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Taste and add more jam if necessary. Spoon into a quart-size zip top bag and store in the fridge until ready to frost.
- When ready to serve, snip off a corner of the bag and pipe frosting onto each cupcake (or spread on with a butter knife).
Equipment
Notes
- To make these ahead, store the cupcakes, fully cooled and without frosting, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Frost right before serving.
- Store any leftover frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- You can make the puree up to 3 days ahead. (This makes this recipe really easy!)
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose.
- You can use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup.
- Let the cupcakes cool before adding the icing.
- To make the lightest color cupcakes possible (if that matters to you!), use honey and all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
Really yummy and not too sweet! I made them for my toddler to take to daycare for his birthday and I felt good knowing that they wouldn’t make the kids bounce off the walls, but that they would definitely be enjoyed. The frosting reminds me of the cream cheese and jelly sandwiches I used to eat as a kid.
Hi, i would like to bake in 3 – 6 inch pan, should i double it?
Yes I think so (or you could make thinner cakes if you left it as is). I haven’t done it that way so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it!
This sounds yummy. The recipe list calls for baking soda and baking powder, however the instructions only say powder. Please clarify if the soda is also needed!? Thank you!!
It’s fixed, apologies and yes, you need both!
It says “ To make these ahead, store the cupcakes, uncooled and without frosting, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Frost right before serving.”. So don’t cool them down before putting them in a container??
Apologies, that’s fixed. (Not sure what happened there!)
I want to make a two layer 8 inch cake. I am guessing I need double the recipe. Correct?
Thanks!!
Yes, that would give you the right amount as far as I can tell!
Hi Amy!
In the 3rd step of the recipe you say to “warm in 15 second increments in the microwave, stopping to stir, until the coconut oil is melted. Let cool slightly.” but coconut oil is not mentioned in the ingredients. Did you mean to say butter here? Or using coconut oil OR butter in the ingredient list?
Looking forward to making these!
Thanks!
Oh, I’m sorry, I fixed that!
Do you think you could you use raspberries instead of strawberry in this recipe? My son loves raspberries and I would like to make these for his first birthday .
I haven’t made them with raspberries so I can’t say for sure. The recipe will work, the only thing may be that sometimes raspberry puree is more bitter than strawberry puree, so you might want to taste it and add a little extra sweetener if the puree has any bitter flavor at all. Here’s an easy Raspberry Puree that will work though: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/fresh-raspberry-puree/
Really light cupcake with great strawberry flavour!
I was wondering if you could make these with blueberries? I am looking for a blue cupcake instead of a pink one. Thanks!
I haven’t but I think if you did it with blueberries it might turn them more of a dull purple? I’m not totally sure but please let me know if you try it!
Hi there! I am wondering if this could be made with frozen strawberries?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you do, thaw them, drain off the liquid, and then proceed with the recipe.
Have you tried making these cupcakes as a cake? I would like to do a strawberry smash cake for my daughters first birthday. Would this recipe be able to convert to 4in or 6in cake pans?
That’s a great idea! You could definitely bake the batter in small cake pans. I’d recommend the 6 inch (4 inch is really tiny) and I would guess that the baking time may be closer to 18-20 minutes since it will be thinner but you’d need to check it with a cake tester (insert it into the center starting at 16 or 18 minutes and look for it to come out cleanly). If you have a little time I can try it out for you—let me know!
Thank you so much for your response! If I wanted to do a 2 layer 6 inch cake, should I double the recipe?
I am going to try it in a week or so but I would love to hear your results if you try it before then!
I don’t think you’d need to double it!
I made these yesterday and the flavor is delicious, but the color is very different than your photos. They almost look like chocolate cupcakes. They’re not burnt at all, just brown throughout the whole cake. Any idea what would cause this? Thanks!
Hmmm, sometimes a difference in the material of a baking pan can cause the baked good to be a different color. But otherwise I’m not sure!
Maple strawberry cupcakes sound delicious! and this recipe doesn’t add pink food coloring, which is good! I may make it for graduation day. I might even just drizzle more maple syrup on top of the frosting. I love maple syrup for its sweetness and its nutritional benefits.
When you say cake flour do you also mean self raising? Thanks
Cake flour should be what it’s called on the label- it has less protein than regular flour so it tends to create a more delicate baked good. It’s usually sold in a box. (You could also try this method: http://www.thekitchn.com/the-easy-way-to-make-cake-flour-substitute-baking-tips-from-the-kitchn-44521)
Any subs for the brown rice syrup?
You could use additional maple syrup or honey.