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Home » Recipes » Cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

By Rebecca Swanner | June 6, 2017 | Updated on June 15, 2023 | 25 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that we collect a share of sales from. Click here for more details.
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

These Strawberry Cupcakes are made with fresh, juicy strawberries and topped with a delicious vanilla buttercream frosting.

Love strawberries? This summer try this homemade Strawberry Ice Cream when the berries are at their peak!

Strawberry Cupcakes: This homemade strawberry cupcake recipe is made from scratch with fresh strawberries and topped with vanilla buttercream!

When I was a kid, my favorite snack was strawberries. In the summer, my mom used to fix me up a bowl of fresh strawberries, juicy as all can be, and I’d go find a good spot to lie back and daydream. Though the summer strawberries were already sweet and juicy, I loved adding a little powdered sugar to the bowl and dipping the strawberries in it.

These Strawberry Cupcakes remind me a bit of those lazy summer days. The cupcakes are fluffy and moist and topped with a vanilla buttercream. And while they require a few more ingredients than strawberries and powdered sugar, they’re easy to make.

They’re great during summer when strawberries are at their peak, but they’re also good for Valentine’s Day… or add a few blueberries on top and enjoy them for July 4th!

The recipe was adapted from Averie Cooks’ Strawberry Banana Bread recipe, so you could also forget the frosting altogether and serve them as strawberry banana muffins for breakfast!

Strawberry Cupcakes: This homemade strawberry cupcake recipe is made from scratch with fresh strawberries and topped with vanilla buttercream!

Tips to Make the Best Strawberry Cupcakes

I know it’s tempting to use a strawberry cake mix, but you can totally bake these! Here are a few helpful tips to help:

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. It really does make a world of difference when it comes to baking because it allows all the ingredients to mix evenly. If you’re short on time, know that I cheat sometimes (ok, a lot) and warm up my butter in the microwave (about 10 seconds is usually enough) if it’s cold. To warm up eggs, place them in a bowl of hot water. You’ll find they come to room temperature pretty quickly.

To prevent the strawberries from making your batter too moist, toss them in flour. Tossing the strawberries in flour doesn’t seem to have a big effect on whether or not they sink to the bottom, however. To prevent this, you need to fill the bottom of your cupcake liners with a layer of batter that doesn’t have any strawberries in it. Check out my Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes recipe for more details.

Use white liners so you can see your cupcakes! I love using liners in various colors, but if you bake these in white liners, it makes a nice contrast with the bright white Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

When you’re making the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, if you find it’s too dry, add a tablespoon more milk. Too wet? Add a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Continue until you reach a consistency that stays on the spatula when you lift it out of the mixing bowl but doesn’t feel stiff.

Strawberry Cupcakes: This homemade strawberry cupcake recipe is made from scratch with fresh strawberries and topped with vanilla buttercream!

Strawberry Cupcakes: This homemade strawberry cupcake recipe is made from scratch with fresh strawberries and topped with vanilla buttercream!

If you love strawberry recipes, here are a few more to try!

  • Strawberries and Cream Cake
  • Easy Strawberry Tart with Strawberry Champagne Jam
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

4.60 from 15 votes
Print Recipe
Soft and tender strawberry cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting are perfect for summer!
Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 2 cups strawberries (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 1/2 cup flour (divided)
  • 1 cup mashed banana (from 2 large bananas)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)
  • whole strawberries (for topping)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • 3 cups powdered sugar (divided)
  • 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2-3 Tbsp. milk (divided)

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners.
  • Toss chopped strawberries with 1/4 cup flour in small bowl.
  • Mash banana in small bowl.
  • Whisk oil, egg, brown sugar, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract together in large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add flour mixture to oil mixture. Stir until combined or mix on low speed. Add banana. Add strawberries. Add food coloring if desired.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Let cool completely on cooling rack before frosting.

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • Add butter to mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 2 cups powdered sugar. Cover bowl.
  • Turn mixer on medium and mix until consistency resembles pebbles. Add vanilla extract and 2 Tbsp. milk. Turn speed to high.
  • Reduce speed and add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Alternate between powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency is achieved. Turn mixer on high for 60 seconds. Frost cupcakes and top with whole strawberry.

Notes

This is a great recipe to make with kids. Let them have fun mashing the banana or dust the strawberries in flour!
Adapted from Averie Cooks' Strawberry Banana Bread
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 cupcake)
Calories 208 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 151mg7%
Potassium 77mg2%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 200IU4%
Vitamin C 3.3mg4%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Author: Rebecca Swanner
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then take a photo and tag @letseatcakeblog on Instagram so we can see it!

Tell me your favorite cupcake flavor in the comments below!

  • Author
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Rebecca Swanner
Rebecca Swanner
Pleased to meet you. I'm the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Let's Eat Cake: The world's first smart, funny lifestyle site for women.

My background is in publishing (I've worked at Parade, Men's Journal, Us Weekly, Stuff, Blender, Beachbody, and more), mostly with a focus in health, fitness, and entertainment. I've also run my own baking company and competed on Cupcake Wars, so hit me up with your baking questions!

For more details, check out my full bio or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Rebecca Swanner
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon and other sites that we collect a share of sales from.
8.4K shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarFelesha Bell says

    June 6, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    Gorgeous beauties!!! I love that you used mashed banana in this recipe. Super yum!!

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:30 am

      Thank you! I found it adds sweetness and helps make these strawberry cupcakes super moist!

      Reply
  2. AvatarJane says

    June 6, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    Blessed you to have memories of your childhood eating fresh strawberries ????. Never had fond memories of strawberries growing up. But, in Oxnard CA is where we have strawberry festival in the Us where we live. The best strawberries ever! Now adding a cupcake to that is heavenly.

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:30 am

      Oxnard strawberries are so good! I live in Los Angeles, so I make it up there every so often, and we get those strawberries at the farmers markets here!

      Reply
  3. AvatarRenee says

    June 7, 2017 at 12:59 am

    Beautiful looking cupcakes with classic flavors, love ti!

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:28 am

      Thanks so much, Renee!

      Reply
  4. AvatarDannii says

    June 7, 2017 at 2:36 am

    These are so beautiful. I think that sometimes the classic flavours are the best. Also, I want to eat that frosting out of the bowl.

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:25 am

      Thank you! I’m such a fan of vanilla frosting too 🙂 If you really want to oomph up the vanilla flavor, add the seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean!

      Reply
  5. AvatarNicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated says

    June 7, 2017 at 2:39 am

    What a wonderful summer dessert! Love how these cupcakes are on the lighter side, too.

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 7, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Thank you! I love that they’re relatively low in calories too (well for a strawberry cupcake)!

      Reply
  6. AvatarKarly says

    June 8, 2017 at 10:45 am

    Ooooh, I love these! No better combo than straw-nana… WITH frosting. 🙂 Need to try these soon!

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 8, 2017 at 1:28 pm

      Thank you! Let me know how you like them!

      Reply
  7. AvatarDeepika Katyal says

    June 11, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Bananas, strawberries and that luscious vanilla buttercream ???????? Yumminess ????????

    Reply
  8. AvatarJoyce says

    June 12, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Whoa! It has banana too! 😀
    Man every time I see your desserts, my cravings go nuts! haha! Your desserts are always so pretty and amazingly delicious looking!

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      June 12, 2017 at 4:47 pm

      Thank you! I feel the same way about your recipes!

      For these, the vanilla frosting makes these strawberry cupcakes a dessert, but if you skip the frosting, you could totally have them for breakfast!

      Reply
  9. AvatarRajiv Kumar says

    July 7, 2017 at 12:06 am

    Delightful cake!!! It is very yummy, Thanks for providing so simple recipe that everybody can understand and can get savor of a delicious cake.
    On Last birthday i got such superb!!! cake from the site :
    http://www.cakengifts.in/cake-delivery-in-dehradun

    Reply
  10. AvatarRadha says

    October 15, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    Hi! for how many days do you think I can store these cupcakes? I want to make these for my daughters birthday, but I want to make them 3-4 days ahead. Do you think they will be ok if I do the frosting on the day of the party?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Rebecca | Let's Eat CakeRebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      October 15, 2017 at 6:25 pm

      Hi! I always make my cupcakes the day of if possible. They’re freshest and tastiest that way! But, if that’s not possible, I would make them the day before – I find any earlier and they start to get a little dry and dense.

      Reply
  11. AvatarMeenakshi says

    December 28, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    While surfing, i got this. I love the recipe and really want to adopt it for my online cake portal. (https://www.way2flowers.com/cakes ). Hope everyone likes it and give us positive reviews, which goes to you only.

    Reply
  12. AvatarTiffany says

    March 12, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    Can you taste the banana in this cupcake?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      March 12, 2018 at 10:42 pm

      I don’t believe you can and I haven’t heard complaints of the strawberry cupcake tasting like banana, but please let me know if you think it’s too banana-y!

      Reply
  13. AvatarOlya says

    April 4, 2018 at 12:08 am

    I had to triple the recipe and something went wrong ???? they looked great in the oven but as soon as I had them out they sunk ????oh well, they still taste good, and I’ll just cover up the ugliness with icing! ????

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      April 4, 2018 at 7:00 am

      Olya! Oh no! I’m glad they tasted great, but if you’re willing to share your process below (or feel free to shoot me an email at hello@letseatcake.com), hopefully I can help troubleshoot why they sank. That’s such a bummer!

      Reply
  14. Avatartrishnat says

    August 8, 2019 at 11:03 pm

    it looks good and I know it will taste even better, I’m definitely gonna try it, keep posting such recipes.
    also, visit- “bulbandkey” for customized cakes.

    Reply
  15. Avatartrishnat says

    August 8, 2019 at 11:04 pm

    it looks good and I know it will taste even better, I’m definitely gonna try it, keep posting such recipes.
    also visit:- https://bulbandkey.com/cake

    Reply
4.60 from 15 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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