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    • May 23, 2023

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Oh boy, did my girl Sally do it again! Not that I know her personally or anything, but every time I make something from her website, Sally's Baking Addition, I swear, it's nearly fool-proof. She has such an amazing way of providing step-by-step instructions and tips that it makes any recipe feel easy, and these cupcakes are no different.


My hubby had been asking me to bake something since it had been a minute since my last baking endeavor, so I wanted him to surprise him one day with these babies when he got home from work. The look on his face was priceless, pure excitement! He loves strawberries and whipped cream, and this recipe combines the two in such a luscious way. It truly does taste like a bite of strawberry shortcake.

As I mentioned before, the original recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction, but I used her helpful notes to adjust the recipe based on which ingredients I had on hand. For example, I use 1 cup buttermilk, but her recipe calls for 1/4 sour cream + 3/4 cup whole milk instead. Both work perfectly!


I also used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean paste, and it didn't alter the recipe in any way (although for a more pronounced vanilla flavor, you'll want to use the bean paste!). You can review the notes at the bottom of the recipe for more helpful tips.


I felt like I was able to whip these up rather quickly for filled cupcakes. The recipe is super easy to follow and really make a perfect springtime/summer treat. Be sure to give them a try!


Magickal Ingredients Featured:


Strawberries: Known as a fruit for love and romance. Other properties include joy, luck, peace, and prosperity.


Butter: Soothes energies adding a nurturing quality & increases spirituality.


Here's What You Need:

Strawberry Filling

  • 1.5 Tablespoons (11g) cornstarch

  • 1.5 Tablespoons (23ml) warm water

  • 2 cups (about 300g) diced strawberries

  • 6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Cupcakes

  • 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

  • 2 egg whites*

  • 1 cup buttermilk*

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract*

Strawberry Whipped Cream

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

  • 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

  • reserved 1/2 cup of strawberry filling

  • optional for garnish: strawberry slices and fresh mint


Here's What To Do:

  1. Make the strawberry filling first: Using a fork, mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch has dissolved—mixture is thick. Warm the strawberries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture as it cooks, and break up some of the strawberries as you stir. Bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After 5 minutes, remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest, and cool completely. Mixture thickens as it cools. (It must completely cool, so transferring to a bowl out of the saucepan helps speed that up, as does refrigerating it. You can complete a few other steps in the recipe as the mixture cools.)

  2. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 3 cupcake liners, or bake in batches.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together. Mixture will be gritty. Whisk in the egg whites, buttermilk, and vanilla bean paste/extract until combined.

  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter should be creamy and mostly smooth; a few small lumps are OK.

  5. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.

  6. Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  7. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cooled before filling and topping.

  8. Make the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste/extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks, and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. If you accidentally over-whip the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more cold heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out. Fold in the reserved 1/2 cup of strawberry filling. Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

  9. Fill the cupcakes: First, set aside 1/2 cup of the filling for the whipped cream topping. Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be sort of cone-shaped. Spoon some of the cooled and thickened strawberry filling inside each carved-out cupcake—use however much will fit. (I use a teaspoon for this. Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of filling in each.) Slice/tear off the pointy end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling.

  10. Frost cooled cupcakes with an icing spatula or a knife. I pile the whipped cream on really high as pictured, and you can certainly do the same! You may have some leftover if you don’t use as much on each cupcake. Garnish cupcakes with sliced strawberries and/or fresh mint.

  11. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.



Notes

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and fill/frost the day of serving. You can make the strawberry filling and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days before using. Likewise, you can make the strawberry whipped cream and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before using. Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling and serving.

  2. Can I Use Frozen Strawberries? Frozen strawberries work in a pinch, but the filling holds MUCH better shape when using fresh strawberries. I strongly recommend using fresh. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry before starting.

  3. *Egg Whites: It’s best to use only egg whites in this cupcake recipe because they will ensure that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. If needed, you can use 1 full egg instead. Keep in mind the texture of the cupcake will change.

  4. *Sour Cream & Whole Milk: 1/4 cup sour cream and 3/4 cup whole milk are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead of sour cream, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk (I don’t recommend nonfat). Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup/240ml).

  5. *Vanilla: I love using vanilla bean paste in the cupcakes and whipped cream because it combines both extract AND vanilla bean seeds. You can, of course use pure vanilla extract instead. If using vanilla extract, and if you want that extra vanilla bean flavor, feel free to add the seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean in the cupcake batter, and use the seeds from the other half of the vanilla bean in the whipped cream. (This is in addition to the liquid vanilla extract).

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