These high altitude strawberry cupcakes are completely made from scratch, with a soft, moist and fluffy texture. They’re made with fresh strawberries in both the cake and the buttercream for the best, most natural strawberry flavor.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for strawberry spoon cake, strawberry rosé cupcakes, and iced strawberry bundt cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Made with Fresh Strawberries. Many strawberry cake and strawberry cupcake recipes rely on boxed cake mixes, strawberry gelatin, or freeze dried strawberries to add a stronger strawberry flavor. But today’s recipe (adapted from my popular from scratch strawberry layer cake recipe) is made without cake mix and without gelatin. I used only fresh strawberries, which are reduced down to concentrate their flavor in both the cake and the frosting.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Fresh Strawberry Reduction
- Strawberries. You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for the reduction. By simmering the strawberries, you’ll be cooking off some of the water for a more concentrated strawberry flavor in your cake. Note that you will not be adding any sugar to the strawberry reduction.
- Food Coloring. This is optional, but just a small drop or two of red gel food coloring will really enhance the color of both your cake and buttercream. I added the food coloring directly to the strawberry reduction.
Strawberry Cupcakes
- Whole Milk. Adds moisture and fat for a tender, flavorful cake crumb.
- Lemon Juice. The acidity in the lemon juice enhances the flavor of the strawberries and also makes the cake more tender.
- Strawberry Reduction. The strawberry reduction gives the cake its strawberry flavor.
- Egg + Egg White. Gives the cake strength and structure.
- Vegetable Oil. Makes the cake moist, light and fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Cake Flour. Flour gives a cake structure, and the lower protein content of cake flour makes a softer, fluffier cake than if you used all-purpose flour.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent to help the cake rise.
- Salt. Enhances flavor and balances sweetness.
Strawberry Buttercream
- Butter. Makes a rich, buttery, fluffy buttercream. I use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, just leave out the extra salt.
- Strawberry Reduction. Gives the buttercream its strawberry flavor and a natural pale pink color.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Instructions
Strawberry Reduction
- Wash and hull the strawberries, then use a small food processor to puree the strawberries.
- Scrape the pureed strawberries into a small saucepan, and stir in the food coloring, if using. Over medium low heat, simmer the strawberries, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until reduced to 1/2 cup. This may take up to 30 minutes.
- Once reduced, transfer the strawberry reduction to a container, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. You can make the reduction up to 2 days in advance. You’ll be using the strawberry reduction in both the cupcakes and the buttercream.
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized muffin pan with 15 paper liners. These cupcakes are a little sticky, so lightly spray the paper liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, strawberry reduction (1/4 cup), oil, egg, egg white, and vanilla, and whisk just until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes, then use a spoon to gently lift them out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- Separately, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls, mixing just to combine.
- Add the vanilla and the strawberry reduction. Whip the buttercream on medium speed (#6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to Stir, and mix for 1 minute.
- Scoop the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with tip 1M. Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles.
Recipe Variation: Add Strawberry Filling
Before I updated today’s strawberry cupcakes to use fresh strawberries in the cake batter, my original recipe started with a vanilla cupcake, filled with strawberry compote, and frosted with strawberry buttercream. This option is also really delicious, and for the strawberry filling, you can use a good quality strawberry jam, or make your own.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Besides its most common use in making royal icing for cookie decorating, meringue powder adds stability and improves the texture of the buttercream. If you struggle to make good buttercream, I’d encourage you to read my comprehensive post all about American Buttercream. You can buy meringue powder on Amazon, or shop for it at your local craft stores such as Michaels, Joanne and Hobby Lobby, as well as on the cake decorating aisle at Walmart. Meringue powder has a long, stable shelf life, so it will last you quite a while.
I used tip 1M.
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Some of the sprinkles I used were from this cute strawberry sprinkle mix, as well as some pale pink small sugar pearls I had on hand from other sprinkle mixes. The meringue kiss on top of the cupcake in the next photo is one of my homemade meringues.
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Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction
- 8 oz fresh (or frozen) strawberries
- 1-2 small drops red gel food coloring, optional
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup cooled strawberry reduction
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (do not substitute melted butter)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white (save the extra yolk for another use)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp meringue powder, optional
- â…› tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp cooled strawberry reduction
Instructions
Strawberry Reduction
- Wash and hull the strawberries, then use a small food processor to puree the strawberries.
- Scrape the pureed strawberries into a small saucepan, and stir in the food coloring, if using. Over medium low heat, simmer the strawberries, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until reduced to 1/2 cup. This may take up to 30 minutes.
- Once reduced, transfer the strawberry reduction to a container, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. You can make the reduction up to 2 days in advance. You'll be using the strawberry reduction in both the cupcakes and the buttercream.
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized muffin pan with 15 paper liners. These cupcakes are a little sticky, so lightly spray the paper liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the milk, lemon juice, strawberry reduction (1/4 cup), oil, egg, egg white, and vanilla, and whisk just until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes, then use a spoon to gently lift them out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- Separately, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls, mixing just to combine.
- Add the vanilla and the strawberry reduction. Whip the buttercream on medium speed (#6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to Stir, and mix for 1 minute.
- Scoop the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with tip 1M. Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles.
Fantastic! I made these for a book club and they were so good. My kids asked me to make them more often. I didn’t change a thing, they were perfect as is. So glad to have found so many high altitude recipes that work perfectly for us. Thanks Heather!!
Thanks, Erin, I’m so glad everyone loved them!
Hi! Could I make this recipe for a cake? I couldn’t find a strawberry cake recipe on your website. Thank you!
Melanie, check out these strawberry cake recipes on my site 🙂
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/strawberry-cake/
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/easy-high-altitude-mini-strawberry-shortcakes/
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/strawberry-shortcake-layer-cake/
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/strawberry-almond-layer-cake/
These were a hit at a Cheesman park picnic! The buttercream melted pretty quickly in the sun (to be expected), but it wasn’t much of a problem because they disappeared from the picnic spread so quickly! I followed the recipe exactly while baking here in Denver and had no issues.
I’m so glad! I love that park – my husband and I had our engagement photos taken there 9 years ago.
I made the cupcakes and strawberry filling this weekend for my birthday, but used a different (stabilized whipped cream) frosting. WOW! They basically taste like strawberry shortcake! The cupcakes came out super light and fluffy and pleasantly vanilla-y. Here in Denver, I struggle with regular cupcakes sometimes falling once they come out of the oven or coming out super dense, but these were so perfect! The strawberry compote is wonderful – tastes like those frozen tubs of macerated strawberries.
I love the idea of the whipped cream frosting on these cupcakes! I do a mascarpone whipped cream frosting on my strawberry shortcake layer cake, and it’s so good. 🙂
These cupcakes look and taste amazing! I halved the recipe and took a batch to a friend’s office. As I left, I heard someone say, “These look like they belong at a wedding!”
Note : I made the same amount of buttercream but halved the cupcake mixture. I don’t think I could have decorated them as generously with the buttercream if I’d made the full number of cupcakes but I like to have plenty of frosting with which to decorate.
I wish I hadn’t halved them because they’re so good. I would have tried freezing the extras but I only have one muffin tin at the moment.