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Strawberry cupcakes with ruffly pink strawberrhy buttercream.

High Altitude Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Filling

Heather Smoke
These delicious strawberry cupcakes start with fluffy and moist vanilla cupcakes, filled with homemade strawberry compote, topped with a swirl of strawberry buttercream.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings30 -32 cupcakes

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Muffin Pans + Paper Liners
  • Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
  • Piping Bag + Tip 2D

Ingredients
 

Strawberry Compote

  • 2 lbs fresh or frozen strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped
  • 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp Turbinado sugar (or Sugar in the Raw)

Vanilla Cupcakes

  • 3 ¼ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites (save the extra yolks for another use)
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Buttercream

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup pureed strawberry compote (see instructions on filling the cupcakes)

Instructions
 

Strawberry Compote

  • In a large saucepan, combine the chopped strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes until the strawberries start to release their juice.
  • Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, simmer the strawberries until the juices thicken into a syrup, and the compote is reduced to about 2 1/4 cups.
  • Remove the pan from the heat, scrape the strawberry compote into a container, cover and refrigerate until well chilled. You can make the strawberry compote up to 3 days in advance and keep refrigerated.

Vanilla Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350. Line a standard-sized muffin pan with paper liners. If you only have one 12-cup muffin pan, you'll have to bake the cupcakes in batches.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • In a liquid measuring cup, measure and whisk together the eggs, egg whites, buttermilk, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract.
  • Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and whisk until well combined, about 15 seconds.
  • Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to spoon the cake batter into the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 full.
  • Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 14-15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly 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.
  • If you have more batter to bake, refill the pan (without stirring up the batter again), and bake the remainder of the cupcakes.
  • Cool the cupcakes completely before filling and frosting.

Filling the Cupcakes

  • To fill the cupcakes with the strawberry compote, take the chilled compote and lightly strain any excess liquid, but don't throw away the liquid.
  • Use a cupcake corer to remove a small plug from the center of each cupcake, then fill the cupcakes with the strawberry compote. Make sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the strawberries for the buttercream.
  • Blend or puree in a small food processor the remaining 1/4 cup strawberries with the strained strawberry liquid, until smooth. Set the puree aside to use for the buttercream.

Strawberry 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 puree. 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 2D. After filling the cupcakes with the strawberry compote, pipe swirls of buttercream on top.

Notes

  • The leftover strawberry cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.  Let come to room temperature before serving.
  • If you want to make this recipe in advance, you can make the buttercream and compote 3 days in advance and keep refrigerated.  Make the cupcakes no more than 1 day in advance and keep stored in an airtight container.  I recommend not filling or frosting the cupcakes until the day you're planning to serve them, since the strawberry filling can soak into the cupcakes and stain the cake.
  • This full recipe makes about 30-32 cupcakes.  You can easily cut this recipe in half for 15-16 cupcakes.
Keyword Cupcakes, High Altitude Cupcakes, Strawberry
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