4.79 from 14 votes

Sweet Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

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Strawberry shortcake is a fresh and flavorful, and this strawberry shortcake cupcakes recipe doesn’t disappoint. These delicious vanilla cupcakes are swirled with a sweet cream cheese frosting. Then diced fresh strawberries are added for a delicious twist on a classic strawberry shortcake.

Several cupcakes frosted topped with fresh strawberry pieces.


 

Why We Love Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

We go strawberry picking almost every year as a family, do you go? We always come home with big buckets full of delicious juicy berries.

One of the first sweet treats that comes to mind after a fun day picking strawberries is strawberry shortcakes. We usually have a big bucket of strawberries to take home. While those little yellow round cakes at the grocery are convenient for making shortcakes, this version of strawberry shortcake blows them out of the water.

These cupcakes are sweet and fluffy without overpowering the bright strawberry flavor. The vanilla cake is moist and fluffy. Topped with cream cheese frosting and the star of the cupcake, fresh strawberries in every bite.

Try the strawberry poke cake for another delicious fresh strawberry dessert! Or make things from scratch with this impressive (but simple to make!) Strawberry Bread with Sweet Cream Glaze, so delicious! Also try Strawberries Stuffed With Cheesecake or easy Strawberry Shortcake Truffles (with Golden Oreos!) for other easy dessert ideas that are sure to impress!

A close up of a cupcake with frosting and fresh strawberry topping, with strawberry lemonade in the background.

Family and friends always love these strawberry shortcake cupcakes at a summer BBQ or Fourth of July party. They are perfect for any summer parties really and the strawberries in season, sweet and juicy.

But don’t forget these cupcakes at other times of the year. They are adorable for a baby shower and the perfect treat for your Valentine.

Check out these fun Patriotic Fourth of July cupcakes for another delicious summer BBQ treat. Or try the fresh Raspberry Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting for another great sweet treat.

How To Assemble Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

When making these strawberry shortcakes cupcakes you’ll start by baking the vanilla cupcakes just as you normally would for cupcakes. After baking according to to the recipe, let them cool completely. (or the frosting will melt off your cupcakes!)

Once the cupcakes are cool, then you start making the toppings. Whip up the cream cheese frosting with an electric mixer. Dice the strawberries then toss with a little sugar if they aren’t super ripe. This will bring out their flavor, but can be skipped if you have super sweet and fresh berries.

Start frosting your cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting across each cupcake.

A cupcake bing frosting with a piping bag and spatula from overhead, and a bowl of diced strawberries.

The rest of your frosting you want to load into a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip.

Put the pastry bag into a large drinking glass and to help you open and fill the bag easier.

Pipe a thick circle of frosting around the outer edge of the cupcakes.

A cupcake being frosted with a piping bag in a swirl with a bowl of fresh strawberries in the background.

I used a 1M frosting tip but any wider, ridged frosting tip will look pretty.

If you’re taking these cupcakes with you or making these cupcakes ahead of time then store your cupcakes and your strawberries separately. Right before serving place a spoonful of strawberries on top of each cupcake. Delicious!

Why did you dice the strawberries? Can’t I just put a whole strawberry on top?

Sure, you could put a whole strawberry on top of your strawberry shortcake cupcakes. Cupcakes look really pretty with a whole strawberry on top, or even topped with pretty strawberry slices.

But what I like most about the diced strawberries is the flavor. I find it dicing the berries help you to have a bit of strawberry in every bite of the cupcake.

Love strawberry desserts? Try these super easy Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts that can be made in the oven or air fryer and are a delicious treat!

A close-up of a cupcake with frosting and fresh diced strawberries being unwrapped, with more cupcakes on a plate behind.

Can I Swap Whipped Cream For Frosting?

Traditional strawberry shortcakes are made with whipped cream and layers of cake and fresh strawberries.

You can use whipped cream for these cupcakes if you prefer, however, I recommend using a stabilized whipped cream recipe. This will keep your whipped cream from deflating or starting to weep, aka ending up in a whipped cream puddle.

If you love whipped strawberry deliciousness, you have to try this Whipped Strawberry Milk drink, yum! This delicious sweet drink can be served hot or cold and is fluffy, sweet and delicious!

Can I Make This Recipe With Frozen Strawberries?

This strawberry shortcake recipe doesn’t work well with frozen strawberries, they will just be too mushy. I recommend using fresh strawberries for this recipe.

If you have frozen strawberries to use, try them in my blueberry muffin loaf recipe. This recipe is made with fresh or frozen blueberries but strawberries can easily be swapped for the blueberries. Or you could make the frozen (or fresh) strawberries into strawberry swirl ice cream, no ice cream machine needed!

A cupcake with frosting and fresh strawberry pieces on top
Recipe

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes


Course Baking
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes
Servings 12 Cupcakes
These strawberry shortcake cupcakes are a delicious and fresh treat! Layered with a moist vanilla cupcake, a whipped vanilla cream cheese frosting, and fresh diced strawberries, these delicious cupcakes are a hit for summer BBQ's, parties, baby showers or even Valentine's Day.

Ingredients  

For The Cupcakes

  • ½ cup butter softened, unsalted
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vanilla yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND TOPPINGS

  • 1 cup strawberries diced, stems removed
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar see notes
  • 1 cup butter softened, unsalted
  • 6 ounces cream cheese
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk I used 2 %
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For The Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • Cream together the softened butter and sugar until well combined. Then add your eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Mix the ingredients well into your wet ingredients
  • In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients the flour, baking powder and salt and stir. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Spoon the batter into the liner cups. Fill the liners until they are about 2/3 full. Try to keep the batter even between the cupcakes. Don’t overfill! This recipe will make between 12-14 cupcakes.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 14- 17 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done, the toothpick should come out of the cupcake clean. Let cupcakes cool completely!

For The Frosting And Toppings

  • Dice the strawberries and place in a bowl. Add the granulated sugar and mix well. If your strawberries are super ripe and sweet, the extra sugar may not be necessary.
  • With an electric mixer beat your softened butter on medium for about five minutes. Your butter will change to a slightly lighter color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
  • Add softened cream cheese and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until well combined.
  • Next add the powdered sugar to the mixer a cup at a time. Allow each cup of powdered sugar to fully mix into the frosting before adding the next cup, it takes a little less than a minute. Add milk and vanilla and mix into the frosting.
  • Frost a layer of frosting on each cupcake, then fill a piping bag with the rest of the frosting. I fitted my bag with the 1M tip but any wide grooved frosting tip works. Pipe circles of frosting around the outer edge of the cupcake only.
  • Just before serving place a spoonful of diced strawberries in the center of each cupcake. Enjoy!

Notes

Adding the strawberries right before serving these cupcakes keeps both the cupcake and the strawberries fresher.
Depending on how juicy your strawberries are they can sometimes cause juice to drip on your cupcakes if you put the strawberries on the cupcakes too soon, especially when placed overnight in the fridge. The layer of frosting between the cupcakes and the strawberries helps, but cut strawberries do tend to become juicier over time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 355mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g
Keyword cupcakes, homemade cupcakes, strawberry desserts, strawberry shortcake, summer desserts

Did You Make This?

I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!

Did you make this recipe? Tell us about it, and be sure to leave us a star rating to help others know how delicious this recipe is. Or tag @onmykidsplate on Instagram and show us your yummy strawberry shortcake cupcakes.

4.79 from 14 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The cupcakes were a hit ๐Ÿ™‚ can I use this same recipe to make a cake? Are there any adjustments you would make when doing so? What about bake temp or time? Thanks for your help!

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe is perfection!! Thankyou so much for sharing!! This will be my new go to cupcake recipe.

    1. I’m so glad you like the recipe Shauna! The cupcake base is one of my personal favorites too! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. For the frosting – you talk about using powdered sugar. But the ingredients list doesnโ€™t have powdered sugar on there. How much are we supposed to use?

    1. Hi Nichole, I don’t know how I missed adding that I’m so sorry. The recipe needs four cups of powdered sugar in the frosting. I’ve updated it, thank you for pointing this out. Hope your cupcakes are delicious! -Kristy

      1. Yay! Thank you for answering my question so quickly! Iโ€™ve made the cupcakes but I was holding off on the frosting. You saved me! Haha ๐Ÿ™‚ thank you!!! The cupcakes are absolutely DELICIOUS by the way!

      2. Oh you’re so welcome, happy to help- and to correct it so it helps future people too! I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, that totally made my day! They are one of our family’s new favorites too!

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