Birthday Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
My birthday cupcakes with strawberry frosting are perfect for any spring or summer celebration ~ the fluffy yellow cupcakes are topped with the ultimate fresh strawberry cream cheese buttercream
Servings: 36 cupcakes
Ingredients
for the strawberry puree
- 2 pints fresh strawberries
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
for the cupcakes
- 4 cups cake flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp almond extract (feel free to substitute vanilla extract)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
for the frosting (frosts 36 cupcakes generously)
- 1 1/2 cups butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 11 cups powdered sugar Note: don't freak! Powdered sugar is airy, and you'll need enough frosting to generously frost all your cupcakes.
Instructions
make the strawberry puree
- Trim the tops from the strawberries and slice them in half. Add them to a high speed blender like Vitamix, or a food processor. Blend until they're smoothly pureed. Put the puree and lemon juice in a medium sized heavy saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Turn the heat down to medium and let the puree boil for about 20-30 minutes until it is thickened to 1/2 cup. Watch carefully and stir often with a silicone spoon or spatula so it doesn't scorch. Scrape the thickened puree into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled. This is going to be the strawberry component of your frosting. Note: feel free to make this puree a day or two ahead.
for the cupcakes
- Line 12-cup muffin tins with muffin tin liners and preheat your oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with electric mixers, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
- Add the almond or vanilla extract, and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Be sure to beat thoroughly and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go to get everything incorporated. This is a lot of batter and and lot of eggs, so it needs to be well mixed at this stage.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, in about 2-3 batches. Once the flour mixture has been added, don't over mix the batter! Just mix it enough so that there are no streaks of dry flour remaining.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tins by filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-22 minutes until the cupcakes are risen, and the tops spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Be careful not to over bake these.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely before frosting.
for the strawberry frosting
- While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting, I use my stand mixer again for this, but you can use electric beaters if you prefer.
- Cream the butter, cream cheese, and strawberry puree (1/2 cup) together, then start adding the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. You should end up with a creamy thick frosting. If it seems too thin, beat in a little more sugar. If it seems too thick, add a bit of milk or lemon juice.
- When the cupcakes are completed cooled, pipe or spread generously with frosting.
Notes
*the yellow cupcakes are adapted from Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection. The frosting is my own.
Nutrition
Calories: 440 kcal · Carbohydrates: 66 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 19 g · Saturated Fat: 11 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 76 mg · Sodium: 130 mg · Potassium: 128 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 55 g · Vitamin A: 617 IU · Vitamin C: 16 mg · Calcium: 49 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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