Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Buttercream
These nostalgic soft & creamy cupcakes are made with fresh strawberries that are slow-roasted to bring out their natural berry flavours. Filled with strawberry puree, these cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy vanilla buttercream made with less sugar that will remind you of eating strawberries & cream. Small-batch recipe included!
Equipment
- 01 Weighing Scale
- 01 Blender or Food Processor
- 01 Corer or small knife (parring knife)
- 01 Stand mixer or handheld mixer
- 01 Sifter
- 01 Baking Tray
- 01-02 12-cup muffin tin
- 12 Standard cupcake liners
- 01 Chopping Board & Knife
- Bowls
- Spatula
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberry Puree
- 476 grams Cleaned & Hulled Strawberries* sliced into half
- 60 grams Castor Sugar
- 02 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
- 03 grams Salt
Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes
- 146 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 06 grams Baking Powder
- 03 grams Baking Soda
- 02 grams Salt
- 141 grams Castor sugar
- 146 grams Unsalted Butter, softened chopped into even cubes
- 146 grams Whole Eggs
- 130 grams Roasted Strawberry Puree
Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 363 grams Unsalted Butter, softened chopped into even cubes
- 408 grams Icing Sugar sifted
- 54 ml Heavy Cream, 35% or more fat content
- 05 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
- 18 grams Roasted Milk Powder*
Instructions
Preparation
- For the roasted strawberries puree -
- Clean & hull the strawberries.
- Chop each strawberry in half, and then weigh and transfer them into a bowl.
- Weigh the other ingredients in the same bowl.
- For the roasted strawberry cupcakes -
- Weigh the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift well and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer or handheld mixer, chop and weigh butter that is soft yet firm to the touch.
- In another bowl, weigh the sugar and set aside.
- Weigh the eggs and vanilla in a bowl and whisk till combined.
- Weigh the strawberry puree for the cupcake recipe and set aside.
- For the creamy vanilla buttercream -
- Weigh and sift the icing sugar well. Weight and mix in the roasted milk powder and set aside. No need to mix
- Weigh the softened unsalted butter and vanilla into a bowl of a stand mixer or a big bowl (if you are using a handheld mixer).
- Weigh the heavy cream and set it aside.
Method
- For the roasted strawberries | Puree & Filling -
- In a bowl, mix the chopped strawberries, castor sugar, pure vanilla extract and salt.
- Stir all the ingredients well. Cover and set aside till the juices release, for about 20 minutes or till the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C while the strawberries are resting.
- Transfer the strawberries to a baking tray once the berries are nice and juicy. Spread evenly on the baking tray.
- Bake the strawberries for about 30 minutes stirring well after every 10 minutes. The strawberries are ready when they are soft, and fragrant and have become darker in colour
- Once baked, let the strawberries cool completely in the tray.
- Blitz the roasted strawberries (don’t forget to add the thick juice that released during baking) once cooled till the puree is thick, smooth and lump-free.
- For the roasted strawberry cupcakes -
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on low-medium speed till smooth & creamy (about 2 minutes)
- Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the castor sugar and cream till fluffy on medium speed. Scrape the bowl again and cream for 10 seconds to mix well.
- With the mixer running, add the egg mixer in three batches, mixing well till the mixture forms peaks before each addition without turning off the mixer.
- Turn off the mixer once all eggs are mixed in and scrape the bowl well and cream for 10 seconds.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients into the cupcake batter and mix well till just combined on low speed.
- Add the cool strawberry puree (check the quantity in the recipe) and mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Gently fold the cupcake batter using a spatula just in case any of the ingredients haven’t mixed well.
- For even cupcakes -
- Put the bowl with the cupcake batter onto a weighing scale.
- Bring the weighing scale to zero.
- Scoop 60g of batter into each cup scraping the spoons well before scooping more cupcake batter for the next cupcake.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or till the centre of the cupcake springs back when touched.
- Allow them to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer them to a cooling rack or tray to cool completely before frosting.
- For the creamy vanilla buttercream -
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, cream the butter till creamy & smooth for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the icing sugar in three batches and cream on a low speed of 30 seconds increasing to medium speed till combined well before each addition.
- Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time till the frosting is not too thick. When the frosting reaches its right consistency, it will be fluffy yet holds its shape well when scooped.
- Use immediately or store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
Decorating the cupcakes
- For the best results, I recommend chilling the cupcakes & buttercream for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. If you chill the buttercream overnight, make sure to let the buttercream softened before using.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, using a corer or small knife make a hole in the middle of each cupcake without touching the bottom of the cupcake.
- Fill two piping bags with the frosting & puree. I used a piping tip for the buttercream.
- Fill in the cupcakes with the remaining strawberry puree till the top.
- Pipe the frosting on each cupcake generously.
- You can either top each cupcake with a fresh strawberry or drizzle any leftover strawberry puree using a piping bag.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Strawberries - Always taste the strawberries before using them in the recipe. Make sure you are happy with the flavour of the strawberries. If it is a little sour, that's okay! The sugar in the recipe will reduce the sour flavour.
- Unsalted butter - As mentioned in the tips section, experiment and observe how long the butter comes to the right temperature and texture. Depending on the time it takes, weigh out the recipe or bring out the butter mid-way through prep.
- Roasted Milk powder - I highly recommend making the buttercream with roasted milk powder for the best flavour. If not, you can make the vanilla buttercream without it. Learn how to roast milk powder right here.
- Storage Instructions
- Roasted strawberry puree can be stored in an air-tight container or glass jar for a month.
- Frosted roasted strawberries & cream cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator especially if the weather is warm for a week. Thaw at room temperature before consuming.
- Store the frosting in an air-tight container or clean zip lock bag in the refrigerator for a week.
- Prepared cupcakes can be kept at room temperature away from direct heat for about 2 hours. I recommend refrigerating after 2 hours to preserve the freshness.
- Make Ahead Instructions
- The roasted strawberry puree, cupcakes and buttercream can be prepared a day in advance. Store them under refrigeration overnight and thaw the cupcakes and puree before using.
- Freezing Instructions
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then at room temperature till soft.
- Frosting can be stored and frozen in an air-tight container or clean zip-lock bag for 3 months.
- I do not recommend freezing roasted strawberry puree as it's best used when made fresh.
- Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
- Small Batch Recipe (04 cupcakes)
| Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour | 48 |
| Baking Powder | 2 |
| Baking Soda | 1 |
| Salt | 1 |
| Castor Sugar | 47 |
| Unsalted Butter, Soft | 48 |
| Whole Eggs | 48 |
| Roasted Strawberry Puree | 43 |
| Roasted Strawberries Puree Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Cleaned & Hulled Strawberries, Sliced into half | 238 |
| Castor Sugar | 30 |
| Vanilla | 1 |
| Salt | 2 |
| Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Unsalted Butter, Soft | 128 |
| Icing Sugar, Sifted | 144 |
| Heavy Cream, 35% | 19 |
| Pure Vanilla Extract | 2 |
| Roasted Milk Powder | 7 |