strawberry vanilla surprise cupcakes
The best part is the part which you can’t see.
I love desserts that are stuffed with things: a cream filled doughnut, a chocolate croissant, and, here, a cupcake filled with jam. I find it fun to bite into a treat and realize that there’s an extra layer of treat within the treat. Treatception.
I created these Strawberry Vanilla Surprise Cupcakes with summer hosting in mind, be it a pool party for the kids or an adult picnic in the neighborhood park. The cake itself is a soft, fluffy vanilla base, filled with sweet strawberry jam, and finished with a twirl of strawberry buttercream colored and flavored naturally with freeze dried strawberry powder.
These are loads of fun to make. You can assembly line each step by assigning someone to scoop out the centers and drop in the jam, someone to mix the frosting, and someone to pipe or swipe the buttercream. And, of course, all of you can celebrate with a little treat together at the end before arranging the rest of the platter for your guests.
A little bonding time, if you will.
Willy Nilly Vanilly
The base of these happy desserts is my favorite vanilla cake. Easy peasy to make, and the result is fluffy, rich, and enticing to nibble on its own before the bells and whistles are added.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl, then whip in three eggs, one at a time, until combined. Finish the wet ingredient ensemble with vanilla and Greek yogurt.
Add in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. With the mixer running, stream in the buttermilk and mix until the last streak of flour melds with the batter, which should be thick and puffy.
Line two 12-slot cupcake tins with parchment or paper liners. Whatever you have around. Fill each slot 2/3 of the way to the top. This is kind of an arbitrary measurement, and the easiest way to describe it is to leave a bit of space, maybe 1/8 inch. I use an ice cream scoop and typically only need to fill it half of the way full.
I don’t think that made a lot of sense, but I tried.
Bake the cupcakes 25-30 minutes until your toothpick pops out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wham, Bam, Thank You, Jam
When the cupcakes are cool, grab a small spoon to scoop out a wee bit of the center. I usually trace a small circle about 1/2 inch in diameter, then finagle my spoon to lift a teaspoon-sized circle out of each cupcake.
In this newly-formed crater, wiggle in some strawberry jam. A little goes a long way!
Now, time to frost. The recipe card calls for 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries ground into 1/4 cup of powder (or thereabouts). I use a food processor for this. You also may not need the entire portion of freeze-dried berries depending on how strong you want the hue to be and how much strawberry flavor you desire.
Throw the strawberry powder in your mixer along with butter and vanilla. Mix until combined, then add powdered sugar and heavy cream. Start with 4 1/2 cups and 1/3 cup, respectively. Keep the speed on low for a minute to let the ingredients hug, then go batshit crazy and speed up the beater to cat 5 hurricane velocity – okay, maybe cat 3 – and whip until the frosting is soft and fluffy. You will likely need a couple tablespoons more of cream and, if you’re worried about the volume of frosting, another 1/2 cup sugar or so.
Use your favorite piping tip to decorate each cupcake. Enjoy the pretty flecks of strawberry in each unique swizzle. You can also enlist a spatula and simply smear the frosting overtop. The elaborateness is totally your call.
Baked, unfrosted cupcakes keep well for a few days in the fridge before I you should get your garnish on. After frosting, serve within 2 days to avoid a mental breakdown, both by your cupcakes and by you.
If you’ve a gathering this weekend, I urge you to give this recipe a go. And invite me so I can relish in your happy response to these cuties, and so you give me one, too. Eheheheh.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
A cup of cake:
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
Grown-Up Funfetti Cupcakes with Bourbon Strawberry Buttercream
strawberry vanilla surprise cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup high-quality strawberry preserves
strawberry buttercream
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, ground into powder (about 1/4 cup of powder)
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with parchment liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, stream in the buttermilk until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way with batter. Depending on what your heart says 2/3 of the way full is, you will get 22-24 cupcakes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks. Cool completely.
- Using a spoon, remove about 1 teaspoon of cake from the center of each cupcake. Scoop 1 teaspoon of preserves into the gap.
- Make the frosting. Whip the butter, strawberry powder, and vanilla until combined, then add the powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of cream. Crank the mixer to high, and beat until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You may need an extra tablespoon of two of cream to achieve the desired texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed, to properly incorporate all the ingredients.
- Pipe or frost each cupcake with the buttercream. Finish with a fresh strawberry, as desired.
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