The Allure of Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

Imagine the delightful essence of spring kisses captured in a dessert – that’s precisely what these juicy, ripe red strawberries bring to the table. Sweet, vibrant, and utterly irresistible when in season, strawberries are truly a gift of nature. This time, I’ve harnessed their exquisite flavor to create a spectacular filling for an unforgettable cupcake experience. These aren’t just any cupcakes; they are designed to deliver an intense, authentic strawberry taste in every single bite.

For the cupcake batter itself, I opted for a light, egg white-based recipe. This particular method ensures an exceptionally light and fluffy texture, which creates a perfect contrast with the rich, dense homemade strawberry jam nestled inside. The airy vanilla cake acts as a soft pillow, allowing the sweet and slightly tart strawberry filling to truly shine. To crown this delicious creation, a generous swirl of sugary heavy cream is piped on top, offering a decadent finish. A fresh slice of strawberry then completes this charming and utterly delicious baking treat.

These strawberry filled cupcakes are incredibly versatile and are always a hit. They are deliciously served as a romantic gesture for Valentine’s Day, a refreshing sweet at spring gatherings, or a delightful addition to summer picnics. They also make a fantastic and much-loved treat for birthday parties or any celebration where a touch of homemade goodness is appreciated. Get ready to bake a batch that will impress everyone!

Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

Crafting these delectable strawberry filled cupcakes requires a careful selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Below, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of what you need and why each component is crucial. The precise quantities can be found in the comprehensive recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

For the Moist Vanilla Cupcakes:

• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our cupcake structure. All-purpose flour provides the right balance for a tender yet stable crumb. While specified here, some bakers prefer cake flour for an even lighter texture.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent is critical for giving our cupcakes their light and airy lift. Since our batter lacks acid, baking powder is the preferred choice and cannot be substituted with baking soda, which requires an acidic component to activate.
• Salt: A small amount of salt enhances all the other flavors in the cupcake, balancing the sweetness and bringing out the rich vanilla and strawberry notes.
• Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total salt content in your recipe. Ensure your butter is at room temperature for optimal creaming with sugar, which contributes to the cupcake’s tender texture. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
• Granulated Sugar: Sugar not only sweetens the cupcakes but also contributes to their moistness and helps achieve that beautiful golden-brown crust. For an intriguing twist, consider sweetening your whipped cream with three tablespoons of strawberry jam instead of sugar for an even more intense berry flavor in your topping.
• Large Eggs: This recipe ingeniously uses separated eggs. The egg yolks add richness and moisture to the batter, contributing to its creamy consistency. The egg whites, when whipped to stiff peaks, are gently folded in to incorporate extra air, resulting in an exceptionally light and fluffy cupcake. It’s crucial that absolutely no egg yolk contaminates the egg whites, as even a tiny speck of fat can prevent them from stiffening properly.
• Whole Milk: Milk adds essential moisture to the batter, creating a tender and fluid consistency. Whole milk is recommended for its richness, which complements the overall flavor profile of the cupcakes.

For the Luscious Strawberry Filling:

• Strawberry Jam: This is the heart of our strawberry filled cupcake! You have the wonderful option of using a homemade strawberry jam for a truly artisanal touch, or selecting a high-quality store-bought jam from your local supermarket. Both will provide that delightful burst of fruit flavor.
• Creative Filling Variations: While strawberry jam is classic, feel free to experiment with other delicious combinations!
  • For a warm late-summer treat, try plum jam cupcakes.
  • In spring, rhubarb jam cupcakes offer a unique sweet-tart profile.
  • For a cozy winter delight, consider hot apple jelly cupcakes.
  • Alternatively, for a fresh fruit burst, finely diced fresh strawberries can also be used as a delightful filling, though they will release more moisture during baking.

For the Dreamy Whipped Cream Topping:

• Heavy Cream: The base for our fluffy topping. It’s essential that your heavy cream is very cold before whipping. This ensures it will stiffen quickly and hold its shape beautifully, creating that perfect piped swirl.
• Sugar for Whipped Cream: Used to sweeten the heavy cream. Remember the tip: for an even more intense strawberry flavor, you can sweeten the whipped cream with three tablespoons of strawberry jam instead of sugar. This creates a beautifully pink and fruit-forward frosting.
• Alternative Frostings: If you prefer a richer, more stable frosting, these cupcakes also pair wonderfully with other options. Consider using a Mascarpone frosting recipe for a tangy, creamy topping, or a classic cream cheese frosting for a rich and indulgent finish.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Bake Perfect Strawberry Jam Filled Cupcakes

Baking these delightful strawberry filled cupcakes is a rewarding process. Follow these detailed instructions, and you’ll have a batch of perfectly baked, flavorful treats. For a convenient printable version with exact measurements, refer to the recipe card located at the bottom of this blog.

1. Prepare Your Workspace and Preheat Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 320 °F (160 °C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Ensure all your cold ingredients (except the cream for the topping) are brought to room temperature before you start.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork until they are thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Set this aside.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on high speed for about three minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale yellow. This aeration is key for a tender cupcake.
4. Incorporate Egg Yolks: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is evenly blended.
5. Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients: Divide the flour mixture into three equal parts and the milk into two equal parts. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar-egg yolk mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Next, add half of the milk and mix again until just incorporated. Repeat this process: add another third of the flour, mix, then the remaining milk, mix, and finally the last third of the flour. Mix only until the flour streaks disappear – be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to dense cupcakes.
6. Whip and Fold Egg Whites: In a separate, very clean bowl (ensuring it’s free of any grease), whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. The bowl and beaters must be perfectly clean; otherwise, the egg whites won’t stiffen. Gently scoop about one-third of the stiff egg whites into your batter and fold them in with a spatula. This step helps to lighten the batter and prepare it for the remaining whites. Then, add the rest of the egg whites and carefully fold them into the batter using a gentle, sweeping motion. The goal is to incorporate air without deflating the whites.
7. Fill and Jam the Cupcakes: Spoon the batter into your prepared cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds of the way (about two tablespoons per liner). Overfilling will cause the cupcakes to overflow in the oven. Using a teaspoon, gently make a small well in the center of each cupcake batter. Fill each well with one teaspoon of strawberry jam. Repeat this for all the cupcakes.
8. Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the vanilla cake (avoiding the jam center) comes out clean. For large cupcakes, baking time might be slightly longer.
9. Cool Completely: Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. This step is crucial before frosting to prevent the topping from melting.
10. Prepare Whipped Cream Topping: While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your topping. In a chilled bowl, combine the very cold heavy cream and sugar (or strawberry jam for an intense strawberry flavor). Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until the cream is stiff and holds its shape.
11. Decorate and Serve: Once the cupcakes are completely cool, transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with your desired nozzle. Pipe a generous swirl of the cream topping onto each cupcake. If you don’t have a piping bag, a simple ice cream scoop or a spoon can be used to add a dollop of frosting. Garnish each cupcake with a fresh half-slice of strawberry for an elegant finish. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.

Need more inspiration?

• You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
• And don’t forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

Andréa

Pro Tips for Baking the Best Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

Achieving bakery-quality strawberry filled cupcakes is easier than you think with these expert tips:

Mastering Ingredient Temperature:

• Room Temperature for Batter: Ensure all ingredients for your cupcake batter, particularly butter and eggs, are at room temperature. This is crucial for creating a smooth, emulsified batter that traps air efficiently, resulting in a lighter and more uniform crumb. Pull them from the fridge at least two hours before you plan to bake.
• Cold for Topping: Conversely, keep your heavy cream for the topping very cold right until you are ready to whip it. Cold cream whips up faster, achieves stiffer peaks, and holds its shape longer, giving you that perfect fluffy frosting.

The Art of Mixing (Avoiding Overmixing):

• Gentle Mixing: One of the most common pitfalls in baking is overmixing. Once you add flour to your wet ingredients, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough, dense cupcakes instead of the desired light and airy texture. For the egg whites, fold them in gently to preserve the air you’ve worked so hard to incorporate.

Oven Wisdom: Temperature and Doneness:

• Conventional Oven Preference: For the most consistent results, a conventional oven is often preferred. Set your temperature precisely to 320 °F (160 °C). If you are using a convection oven (with a fan), reduce the temperature by 30 °F / 20 °C to prevent over-browning and ensure even baking.
• Optimal Rack Placement: Bake your cupcakes in the lower third or middle section of your oven. Placing them too high can cause them to brown or burn on top before the inside is fully cooked.
• Checking for Doneness: Ovens can vary significantly. Always check your cupcakes for doneness a couple of minutes before the recipe’s suggested baking time. Here are three reliable methods:
  1. The Jiggle Test: Gently nudge the muffin pan. If the centers of the cupcakes jiggle excessively, they need a bit more time.
  2. The Spring-Back Test: Lightly press the center of a cupcake with your finger. If it springs back immediately, it’s done. If an indentation remains, give it a few more minutes.
  3. The Toothpick Test: Insert a clean toothpick into the center of a cupcake (avoiding the jam filling). If it comes out clean and dry, your cupcakes are perfectly baked.

Creative Filling Variations:

• Explore Jams: Don’t limit yourself to strawberry! This recipe is a fantastic base for any jam-filled cupcake. In late summer, try plum jam; in spring, rhubarb jam offers a delightful tartness. For a winter twist, apple jelly with a hint of cinnamon is wonderful.
• Fresh Fruit Alternative: For a less traditional, fresher filling, you can use finely diced fresh strawberries (or other berries). Be aware that fresh fruit releases more moisture during baking, which might affect the cupcake’s texture slightly.

Storage Solutions:

• Cupcakes Without Topping (Refrigerator): Unfrosted cupcakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic foil or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• Cupcakes Without Topping (Freezer): For longer storage, freeze unfrosted cupcakes. Wrap each cupcake individually in aluminum foil, then place them all in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They will keep well for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
• Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Topping: Due to the delicate nature of whipped cream, these frosted cupcakes are best enjoyed fresh. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few hours, but the whipped cream will start to lose its firmness and texture over time.

Nutritional Value:

The nutritional information provided in the recipe card is an estimate per cupcake, and it includes both the cupcake and the generous whipped cream topping. Enjoy these delightful treats in moderation!