Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Nothing artificial here, and everybody loved these fresh strawberry shortcake cupcakes. They were as eye-catching on the table as they were delicious! I made these for a retirement party and graduation party this weekend. The rose gold and silver foil wrappers made them extra pretty for the special occasions. They have a nice pound cake texture, not too sweet, that holds up well to the strawberry filling. For more fresh strawberry taste, I added some of the filling that was left after filling the cupcakes into the sturdy whipped cream frosting, and an extra spoonful on top.

Because of the whipped cream frosting it’s best to keep refrigerated, but unlike normal whipped cream frosting that tends to lose it shape after a little while, the sturdy frosting held up well and did not fall in the heat of the day even after being out for a couple hours. I made the cupcakes the day before, and saved the filling and frosting until the the day of the parties. I bought the Russian piping tips that were used in the original sturdy whipped cream frosting recipe to try, but ended up just using one of my regular tips. They’re cool tips though, and I can’t wait to use them on another project.

I actually pulled bits and pieces from three different recipes to create these cupcakes just the way I wanted them. I’m posting the amounts from original recipes, with only a couple modifications I made myself, like using a strawberry filling instead of a whole strawberry in the cupcake recipe, arrowroot powder instead of corn starch in the filling, and adding the filling to the frosting. You can decide for yourself whether you want to reduce or double recipes according to your needs. I’ll put links to the original recipes below the post if you want to read them for additional tips or comments.

If you’re short on time and are not picky on ingredients these could even be made using store-bought, pre-made filling and a can of whipped cream for an on-the-go solution if eaten right away.

Recipe for Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

Makes 36 cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
2 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Strawberry Filling:

(Note: Original recipe was for 12 cupcakes, I doubled this amount and had enough to use in the frosting and on top, with some left over, for 36 cupcakes.)

2 cups diced strawberries (about 10 medium strawberries or 1 lb. finely diced)
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons (16g) cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons warm water to rid clumps (I was out of cornstarch so I used 4 tsp. arrowroot powder instead.)

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

(Note: Makes about 4 cups, I doubled this amount and had plenty left over.)

2 1/2 tsp gelatin knox brand, this is one pouch
3 TBSP cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
reserved 1/2 cup of strawberry filling

Directions

Make the strawberry filling first if you’re making both the same day: Place the strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 4 full minutes until the strawberry juices have been released. Add the sugar and cornstarch or arrowroot powder/water liquid and continue to stir until mixture thickens, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool as you prepare the cupcakes.
Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 cupcake tins with 36 cupcake liners.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl blend butter until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time until well combined add the milk and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix until batter is light and fluffy. Batter will be thick.
Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full.
TIP: If you fill the liners any more the cupcakes will rise too high and make a BIG mess.
Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely in the cupcake pans.
Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle/hole into the center of the cupcake to create a little pocket about 1/2 inch deep. Place 1 teaspoon of strawberry filling inside and top with the piece of cupcake you removed to seal. Repeat with all cupcakes. You will have leftover filling to use in the whipped cream.
Make the strawberry whipped cream: Before whipping your cream, place your beaters or mixer attachment, and your mixing bowl into a freezer for about 15 minutes to allow them to cool.
In a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Stir, and allow to “bloom”. This takes about 5 minutes.
Microwave the gelatin mixture for 10 seconds. It will become a liquid versus the solid shape it had been (looks like ugly jello!). Stir to make sure everything is dissolved.
In your chilled mixing bowl, begin whipping the cream on a low speed. Add in the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla. Move to a higher speed and watch for good peaks to begin to form.
Once the whipping cream is starting to peak, switch back to a lower speed and slowly drizzle the melted liquid gelatin mixture in. Once it’s in, switch back to a higher speed and continue to beat until it’s reached stiff peaks. Add the remaining strawberry filling and continue to beat for another 30 seconds.
Place in piping bags and pipe shapes, or ice your cake. You can also place in the fridge for a few hours before using, but you may have to thaw a few minutes to get it to be more manageable.
Once you’ve iced your item, place in a fridge to hold it’s shape, or serve immediately.

(For directions for regular strawberry whipped cream frosting without the gelatin you can use this recipe here, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes/.)

Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days

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