Strawberry filled cupcakes are soft, delicate white cupcakes with fresh strawberry filling and whipped buttercream frosting. A crowd-favorite cupcake recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add egg whites and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, until all ingredients are just incorporated and batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
Divide batter between 15 cupcake liners. Bake in preheated oven for about 16-18 minutes, or until cupcakes pop back when gently pressed on top, or a toothpick comes out with crumbs/clean, not with wet batter.
Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Strawberry filling
In a saucepan over medium heat, add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Gently core the center of each cupcake (about a ¾" circle) and fill with cooled strawberry filling. Be careful not to core through the bottom of your cupcake. Leave about ½" on the bottom so your filling doesn't fall through when unwrapped.
Buttercream frosting
In a large bowl, add room temperature butter. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy, about 1 minute.
Add confectioner's sugar and slowly mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract and heavy cream and whip for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add additional heavy cream as needed to reach desired consistency.
Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
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Notes
For best results, store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Let cupcakes set at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Cupcakes will keep for up to 3 days in refrigerator.
Frosting recipe make enough to frost about 16 cupcakes with high, dramatic piped frosting, or 24 cupcakes spread with a knife, a 9x13 sheet cake, or an 8-9 inch two layer cake. For less frosting, make a half batch.
Butter melts around 90 to 95 degrees, and so will your frosting. If your location is nearing this temperature, I'd recommend refrigerating your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating your frosted baked goods will not hurt them, but you will want to give them some time to come to room temperature before serving.