So I had some leftover whipped cream and fresh strawberries after brunch on Sunday and got the idea for these vanilla cupcakes with strawberry whipped cream frosting. I quickly whipped them up, unsure about how they would taste, and holy smokes are they delicious! They're super light and not too sweet, aka it's super easy to them all in one sitting. These just might be my new favorite go-to cupcake recipe!
Stabilized Whipped Cream
These strawberry cupcakes are topped with a stabilized strawberry whipped cream frosting. You can use just regular whipped cream if you don’t have gelatin lying around, but for piping I always prefer to stabilize it so that it stays nice and pretty (aka doesn’t start melting down the side of you cupcake after 12 hours).
You can also check out this blog post for all of my other tips for making good whipped cream!
- Puree the strawberries using a blender or food processor. Then pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer* and set aside.
- Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave for 5-10 seconds, until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and strawberry puree and mix on low until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Note: if the gelatin mixture thickens up too much before you add it to the whipped cream, just pop it back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It should be a pour-able consistency.
Decorating Tips
- To decorate all of my cakes and cupcakes, I use this Wilton Decorating Kit* and I love it! It’s super easy to use and has a ton of tips in different sizes. For these cupcakes, I used the 1A tip* to pipe smooth circles.
- Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!! After frosting, garnish with sliced strawberries.
If you make these strawberry cupcakes, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or extract
- 1 ½ cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
Strawberry Whipped Cream
- 10 large strawberries, tops removed
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons flavorless powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla bean paste together until combined.
- Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the buttermilk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
- Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Whipped Cream
- Puree the strawberries using a blender or food processor. Then pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.Â
- Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave for 5-10 seconds, until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and strawberry puree and mix on low until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Note: if the gelatin mixture thickens up too much before you add it to the whipped cream, just pop it back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It should be a pour-able consistency.Â
- Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, transfer the strawberry whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip and pipe swirls on each cupcake.
- Top with a sliced strawberry and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Cake & Cupcake Recipes
Browse more cake & cupcake recipes →
Cupcakes were so light, moist, fluffy, and delicious and I could eat this whipped cream by the spoonful (and I don’t even like whipped cream lol).