These Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes feature dense, pound cake-like cupcakes topped with a light, whipped frosting, and fresh strawberries. This strawberry dessert is easy to make and great for summer!
Strawberry shortcake recipes are so fun and delicious. Don’t miss our strawberry shortcake scones and strawberry shortcake dip!
Easy Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
These Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes are a fun twist on traditional strawberry shortcake. The cupcakes themselves are more dense than fluffy. The cupcakes are meant to be more like shortcake, which is a denser texture than you might see used to in other types of cupcakes. It is similar to pound cake.
Then they’re topped not only with a delightful whipped buttercream frosting but also a strawberry jam filling and fresh strawberries! All the flavors of strawberry shortcake in a simple cupcake. The combination of the light frosting and strawberries on top with the denser cupcake on the bottom is a great balance.
Ingredients Needed
This strawberry shortcake dessert uses pantry staples, plus strawberry jam and frosting.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
For the Cupcakes
- Whole milk – You can use 2% or whole milk in your batter.
- Sour cream – Adds a subtle tang. Feel free to replace this with plain greek yogurt.
- Vegetable oil – The oil helps to keep these cupcakes moist.
- Eggs – Needed to bind the batter together.
- All-purpose flour – Use the spoon and level technique for proper measuring.
- Baking powder – Gives the cupcakes lift!
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Salt – For Flavor.
For the Frosting & Filling
- Whipped buttercream – You can use any flavor of homemade buttercream frosting or use store-bought. (Like my homemade strawberry frosting.)
- Strawberry jam – You can make these cupcakes with any other flavor of fruit jam. Raspberry or blueberry jam would be delish.
- Fresh strawberries – If you decide to change up the jam, you can use different fresh fruit to match your new jam flavor.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
These cupcakes make an easy strawberry dessert, with just a few simple steps needed.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Make the batter. Beat the sugar, milk, sour cream, oil, and eggs until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to cupcake liners. Bake at 350F for 18 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
- Add the frosting. Pipe the frosting in a circle, leaving a hole in the middle. Add the strawberry jam to fill the hole. Top each cupcake with more frosting and fresh strawberries.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making the best strawberry shortcake cupcakes!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients have been added, continue mixing on low only until all ingredients are combined.
- How to tell when the cupcakes are done. For these strawberry cupcakes, the easiest way to tell when they’re done is to use the toothpick test. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.
- Can I use other berries besides strawberries? Absolutely. You can replace the strawberry jam and fresh strawberries with any type of jam and fresh berries.
- What if I don’t have two pans? If you don’t have two cupcake pans, you can use the same cupcake pan. Just wait about five minutes after baking the first batch, carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan with their liners, and leave them to cool on a cooling rack. Then you can refill the cupcake pan with more cupcake liners, and use the remaining batter for your second batch of cupcakes.
How to Store
- How to store the cupcakes. Once assembled, the cupcakes must be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Otherwise, the frosting and fresh strawberries will go bad. The cupcakes will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Allow them to come back to room temperature for the best taste and texture before enjoying.
- How to store the buttercream. Buttercream stays fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the counter. After that it needs to be transferred to the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Can I freeze these? Yes, but freeze the cupcakes and buttercream separately. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Strawberry Desserts:
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Easy Strawberry Pie
- Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting & Filling
- 24 ounces strawberry buttercream frosting (or 2, 12-ounce containers store-bought vanilla)
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries (chopped, sliced, or left whole), for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the sugar, milk, sour cream, vegetable oil, and eggs together until completely combined.
- Slowly add the flour, salt, and baking powder into the bowl with the wet ingredients while beating on low speed. Beat until just combined.
- Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with batter.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before assembling.
- To assemble the cupcakes, prepare a piping bag with a star tip (I used a 1M Wilton tip) and fill it with the whipped buttercream frosting.
- Now use the piping bag to pipe the frosting in a circle starting on the outside of the cupcakes while leaving a hole in the middle, making a sort of “nest”.
- Add 1/2 a tablespoon of the strawberry jam to the inside center of the frosting nest of each cupcake.
- Top each cupcake with additional frosting and fresh strawberries.
