Easy Small Batch Strawberry-Filled Cupcakes
These small batch strawberry-filled cupcakes are one of my favorite easy summer desserts! The cupcakes are light and fluffy, filled with juicy homemade strawberry compote, and topped with my best-ever strawberry buttercream. The recipe makes 6 servings, so it's perfect for dinner parties or small get-togethers!
Equipment
- Hand mixer
- Standard cupcake pan
- Paper cupcake liners
Ingredients
- 80 grams all-purpose flour (⅔ cup)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 60 grams unsalted butter softened (¼ cup)
- 75 grams granulated sugar (6 Tablespoons)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 80 milliliters whole milk (⅓ cup)
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil
- 1 batch strawberry filling
- 1 batch strawberry buttercream
Instructions
Bake the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a standard cupcake pan with 6 paper liners. Then, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and Kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer with beaters, cream the butter and sugar until it's very light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through to ensure there are no streaks. Then, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) to the wet ingredients. Mix until the batter is about 75% combined. Then, add the whole milk and neutral oil. Mix just until the batter comes together and there are no more streaks of flour. Don't over-mix because it can make the cupcakes dense!
- Using a cupcake scoop, evenly divide the batter between the cupcake liners. They should be about ⅔ of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 16-18 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Assemble the Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a paring knife to cut a cone in the center of each cupcake, but don't cut all the way to the bottom. Then, slice off the tips, so you have 6 round, flat pieces of cake for the tops.
- With a piping bag or spoon, fill the cupcakes with 1-2 teaspoons of the strawberry filling, leaving a little space at the top. Then, place the leftover cake rounds on top of the filling. Do your best to make it level with the rest of the cupcake.
- Next, fit a piping bag with a round tip and transfer the strawberry buttercream (or frosting of choice) to the piping bag. Pipe two layers of frosting around the cupcake, leaving the centers hollow. Then, fill the centers of the buttercream with extra filling. (See the blog post for a visual.) Enjoy right away or store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Notes
With small batch baking, it's important to weight the ingredients with a scale instead of measuring cups. Even just a little extra flour can completely derail the recipe. But, if you don't have a scale, here's how to measure the flour. First, fluff it with a whisk. Spoon the fluffed flour into the measuring spoon and level it off without packing it in.
I used Diamond Kosher salt when I was testing this recipe. If you use Morton's, halve the amount of salt.
For high-altitude (around 4,500 feet), use half the amount of baking powder.
Try topping the cupcakes with my small batch vanilla buttercream or my small batch cream cheese frosting instead!
Usually, I do not like to refrigerate cupcakes, because the cake dries out faster. But, since this recipe has fresh berries, you will need to keep them chilled. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 408kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 3gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10.7gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 105mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 1.7gSugar: 41g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!