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These fresh strawberry cupcakes are the real deal. Fresh strawberries and toasted coconut make these peak-of-the-season cupcakes SO divine!!
Delicious, sweet cupcakes filled with fresh fruit are perfect for summer! For more delicious fruit-flavored cupcakes, try our Banana Cupcakes and Cherry Cupcakes too!
fruit-filled Cupcakes
To me, nothing says summer like fresh strawberries. Baking with fresh strawberries is so much easier than it sounds!
Every time I make these strawberry cupcakes, they turn out great. The fresh fruit makes them irresistible, making them one of our favorite desserts and a go-to cupcake recipe when it’s strawberry season.
Pair the moist strawberry cake crumb with rich cream cheese frosting, top with toasted coconut flakes, and you have a cupcake recipe that is to die for!
Not only are these cupcakes unique and impressive, but filled with a fresh strawberry flavor that will make it impossible to eat just one.
strawberry PICKING TIPS
Just a few tips and tricks for getting the best strawberries for these fresh strawberry cupcakes:
- Timing: Buy local and in-season which is typically April-June.
- Color: Look for bright red over the whole berry (a small white spot near the stem is ok).
- Shape: Since we’re cutting these up don’t worry about the shape of the berry.
- Aroma: No smell means they are under-ripe and if they’re overripe you may detect fermentation and mold. Perfectly ripe berries will have a sweet smell.
How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes
PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined.
DRY INGREDIENTS. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.
Add in chopped strawberries and mix until strawberries start to break down; 1-2 minutes.
BAKE. Fill paper liners ⅔ full with the cupcake batter and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting.
FROSTING. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in vanilla and milk, then add powdered sugar to desired consistency. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Add any other toppings you like (toasted coconut, sprinkles, or a whole strawberry).
Recipe Tips
For a 9-inch round cake. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
Color. For a darker pink color, mix in a couple of drops of red food coloring.
Butter. The recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if all you have is salted butter just reduce the amount of added salt to ⅛ tsp.
Toppings. Be sure to cool the cupcakes before frosting them. Other toppings can include sprinkles, sliced or whole strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry puree, and chocolate shavings.
Batter. When adding the batter to the paper liners you may note that it is thicker than other cake batters. Don’t worry, it should bake up beautifully.
- Stick to filling the liner to ⅔ full. If too much batter is added, it may overflow creating a mushroom cap.
Toasting the coconut
Keep in mind that unsweetened coconut will take less time to toast than the sweetened variety. Be sure to remove the coconut from the heat source when it turns golden brown.
In the microwave. Place the coconut flakes in a microwave-safe glass dish and heat them on HIGH for about 4-5 min. Stir after each minute of cooking. The coconut will be nicely browned but will have a chewy and less crispy texture if prepared this way.
In the oven. (Our favorite method.) Spread the coconut out evenly on a large baking sheet and bake it at 350°F for about 8-10 min. Stop and stir the coconut frequently with this method – about every 2 minutes.
On the stovetop. Put it in a pan and heat it at medium/low temperature on the stovetop for about 3-6 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure it browns evenly.
Storing Info
STORE. Loosely cover the homemade strawberry cupcakes and store them at room temperature for 1-2 days. To keep them even longer, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Remove fresh berries from the top before storing them.
FREEZE the cupcakes before adding the frosting. Allow the cupcakes to cool, and store them in an airtight freezer-safe container for 2-3 months.
Freeze frosting in a separate container. Thaw both before adding the frosting to the cupcakes.
Recipe FAQ
There are a few common factors that contribute to a moist cupcake such as fresh leavening agents, measuring the ingredients accurately, using room temperature ingredients, not over mixing, and not over baking.
Even though they have fresh fruit in them, they can be stored at room temperature once they’re baked. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
For more Fruity cupcake recipes, try:
- Cherry Almond Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Strawberry Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries chopped
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoon milk
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- toasted coconut (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.
- Add in chopped strawberries and mix until strawberries start to break down; 1-2 minutes.
- Fill paper liners ⅔ full, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set. Let cool before frosting.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in vanilla and milk, then add powdered sugar to desired consistency. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was wondering how you would bake this if you wanted to make a cake. I’m wanting to do a smash cake for my niece’s first birthday. Thanks.
They look great! Just wondering how pink the cake ends up? I’m looking to do a non-food colored pink cake and the photos look pretty pink but I wanted to ask. Thx!
Sounds like a yummy recipe. Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I usually use unsalted, but think salted would be fine too. 😉
Just made these for a work function. I can’t taste them because of my lifestyle changes but my fiancee and son LOVED it. It was a hit. Looked super moist. The thickness of the batter made me nervous but they baked up beautifully and fresh. I pureed the remaining strawberries and added them to the frosting. 🙂
Great idea, Tiff!! So glad your son and fiancee loved them. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
These look great, so juicy and flavorful. I’ve featured these cupcakes on my blog, hoping that you don’t mind, but if you do, please contact me and I’ll remove it. All the best.
I am in the middle of making these cupcakes, and the recipe calls for baking powder, but when the recipe tells you to add its baking soda?
Sorry I didn’t see this comment until now, but that was just a typo. It’s baking powder that you add, and I have updated the recipe. Hope your cupcakes turned out great!
These look AMAZING! Can’t wait to try them!
Super delicious!! Pinning these for later!! Thanks for the recipe!!
These sound delish! I can’t wait to make them. I just wanted to double check on the instructions. Is there a step missing to add the sugar and butter? Thanks so much!
I noticed that too.
Oops! Thanks for noticing. I totally blanked when writing the directions. The recipe has been fixed. 🙂