Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

This strawberry cupcakes recipe uses freeze dried strawberries to give them plenty of flavour and a pretty, naturally pink hue.

The great thing about freeze-dried fruit powder is it's easier to add enough to cakes, pastries and biscuits to give a good, strong flavour without watering down the mixture – like in these strawberry cupcakes. You do have to add back a little moisture because it's adding an extra dry ingredient, but it's easier to control in terms of flavour vs texture.

Another way to add fruit to this kind of bake is to blend and reduce the fruit down over heat to let some of the water evaporate off and create a concentrated paste – but using freeze-dried fruit instead saves a lot of time.

I've flavoured both the cake and the buttercream of my strawberry cupcakes for double strawberry goodness.

You can also watch me make these on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

(Makes 12 strawberry cupcakes.)

Ingredients for Strawberry Cupcakes:

170g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
170g caster sugar
25g freeze-dried strawberry powder
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
170g self-raising flour
3 tbsp milk

Ingredients for Strawberry Buttercream:

250g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
500g icing sugar
50ml milk
50g freeze-dried strawberry powder
Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.

2. To make the cupcakes, cream the butter and sugar together until light, pale and fluffy, and beat in the strawberry powder.

3. Beat in the eggs, salt and vanilla until smooth, followed by the flour and lastly the milk. Once you add the flour, don't overbeat the mixture or it won't be as fluffy when baking.

4. Divide equally between your cupcake cases, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until risen and golden brown on top. Leave to cool completely.

5. To make the buttercream, use a larger bowl to help prevent mess. Beat the butter until light, fluffy and pale, gradually add the icing sugar bit by bit, followed by the milk. Finally, beat in the strawberry powder and salt.

6. Pipe the buttercream on top of your cupcakes and serve.

Enjoy, and have fun.