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Easy Strawberry Cupcakes use my favorite method for doctoring cake mix to make cupcakes that are bursting with strawberry flavor. Top them with strawberry buttercream for double the sweetness!
You guys, it’s been quite the start of a week.
I know I shouldn’t complain at all because we just got home from an amazing vacation in Boca Grande, Florida, but I seriously feel like I’m suffering from a vacation hangover.
I’m so freaking tired, I have pretty much zero motivation to cook, bake, or even work.
Napping. That’s pretty much what I have motivation for right now.
I blame it all on Ohio’s weather – rain, clouds and just all around blah-ness. Which is pretty much the complete opposite of the glorious weather we just experienced for two weeks.
If I’m being real, I haven’t even unpacked my suitcase. I kinda keep telling myself there’s realllllly no point because it’s 40 degrees in Ohio right now, so it’s not like a beach wardrobe is a necessity.
However, instead of napping, or binge watching something on Netflix, I’m trying to get our lives back into a routine.
Even my sweet babe is having a hard time getting back into the swing of things and has consistently begged me for just 5 more minutes every morning I’ve gotten her up for school.
Basically we’re all struggling around here.
When we are all on the struggle bus like this, I like to reach into my arsenal of easy recipes. Sometimes just the act of baking, even if it’s something simple like Easy Strawberry Cupcakes, can kick my butt back into gear.
MAKING STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH CAKE MIX
You guys love my Doctored Cake Mix. I get a ton of questions from readers curious if they can adapt the recipe with different flavor combinations.
Of course you can! This is one of my all-time favorite tricks.
I am all about berry recipes this time of year, so turning a simple vanilla cake mix into Easy Strawberry Cupcakes is a must.
Boxed vanilla cake mix combines with Greek strawberry yogurt and fresh strawberries to create simple, moist cupcakes that are bursting with strawberry flavor.
The diced fresh strawberries in the batter are what really make Easy Strawberry Cupcakes out-of-this-world good. They add extra flavor and texture to these cupcakes.
Add on a swirl of strawberry buttercream and you’ve got one stellar cupcake with minimal fuss.
STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Of course you can top your Easy Strawberry Cupcakes with any flavor of homemade buttercream frosting that you like. (Lemon frosting would be delish!)
But me? I love to double the strawberry flavor with strawberry buttercream frosting.
To make buttercream bursting with flavor and tinged a natural light pink, I simply swapped the milk I would normally use in my buttercream for fresh strawberry puree.
You can add a drop or two of food coloring if you’d like an even bolder pink color, but I personally like seeing the darker flecks of strawberry in the light pink frosting.
MORE EASY CUPCAKE FLAVORS
If strawberries aren’t your thing, that’s ok. You can use the method for these Easy Strawberry Cupcakes to make other fruity cupcake flavors.
The world is your oyster here, folks!
Try it with peach Greek yogurt and fresh peaches, or blueberry yogurt and fresh blueberries. I’d love to hear the combinations you come up with, and how they worked for you.
Easy Strawberry Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 box French Vanilla cake mix 15.25 ounces
- ½ box instant vanilla pudding mix 3.4-ounce box
- 1 cup Greek strawberry yogurt
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries about 10 medium berries
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1.5 pounds confectioners' sugar sifted (24 ounces or about 5.5 cups)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- About 8 medium fresh strawberries pureed (you'll need 4-5 tablespoons of puree)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, Greek yogurt, oil, water, eggs and vanilla. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined. Fold in diced strawberries
- Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes. The cupcakes may develop a slight divot in the center as they cool, but no worries, you'll cover that with delicious frosting.
- Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until it is completely incorporated. Add in vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the strawberry puree, mix until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and check the buttercream for taste and texture. Gradually add in the last 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree until you reach the desired level of strawberry flavor. Please note that adding more than the recommended 5 tablespoons could result in a thinner frosting. Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat the mixture for about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and if desired, garnish with fresh strawberries.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you ever swapped out the vanilla for chocolate to make this into chocolate strawberry cupcake? My daughter loves chocolate and strawberries!!!!!
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
If you use the box mix with the pudding in it already do you still add the 1/2 box of dry vanilla pudding?
Hello! Yes, you will still need to add the dry pudding mix. Hope this helps!
Jamie
Hi! These sound great! Going to make them for my daughter’s 4th birthday. She doesn’t like fruit chunks in things… do you suggest I forgo the strawberries in the batter, or purée them instead?
Thanks!
Hello! I would just forego adding them to the batter. I’m afraid that pureeing them would throw off the liquid ratios in the batter. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
-Jamie
I was tired of bringing the same thing to a potluck BBQ. Vanilla cupcake, chocolate cupcake. Getting boring. So I made the easy strawberry cupcakes thinking they might be ok. Boy were they a hit. There were a group of college-age kids in the kitchen talking about them. I heard, and I quote “those cupcakes were fire. Who made them?”…so yea they’re pretty good.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes, Laura! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
These look great! I love your photography, may I ask if you use any special lighting?
Thank you :)
Hi Julia!
Thanks so much! I use natural light as well as a speedlite if natural light isn’t optimal.
These are so good! My daughters love pink cupcakes but the strawberry flavored mix tastes so fake. Love this recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes, Taryn! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Baking always lifts my spirits also. Especially when I baking something as delicious as these strawberry cupcakes!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Renee! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
I love strawberry desserts! These cupcakes look fabulous and are just perfect for the end of strawberry season.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Natallie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Hi, I’ve seen other people already asked this question, but the answer is not clear to me…
When you use the cake cake mix with the pudding already in it, do you still add the 1/2 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix???
Thanks in advance
-Tina
Hello! Yes, you will still add the extra pudding mix even if there is pudding in the cake mix already. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
I have tried these cupcakes several times, and I love them! The cupcakes do come out flat, but once you top with frosting you can’t tell. I will continue making them! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoy the cupcakes, Steph! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I MADE THESE TONIGHT FOR A FRIENDS BABY SHOWER SHE WAS HOSTING. I WANTED SOMETHING A LITTLE PINK FOR A GIRL. NEEDLESS TO SAY THEY WERE FANTASTIC!! I COOKED THEM RIGHT AT 18 MIN AND THEY WERE PERFECT. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR RECIPE. WILL DEFINITELY MAKE AGAIN SOON
Tanika-
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the cake! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. Happy Baking!
-Jamie