If you are looking for a delicious, sweet treat this summer, try my easy strawberry crunch cupcakes! These cupcakes need no fancy piping bags or icing tips, but you are still left with a striking cupcake that will be the focus of whatever event you bring them to. These cupcakes taste fresh, sweet, and unbelievably summery!
You can enjoy these cupcakes any time of year, but they absolutely scream summertime dessert to me! That's when strawberries are at their prime too!
I love making sweet treats with fresh fruit. If you are looking for more like this, try my lemon raspberry sweet rolls!
Ingredients
This recipe uses fresh strawberries, freeze-dried strawberries, and strawberry extract (optional) to create a super easy-to-make recipe that tastes fresh without the hassle of using exclusively fresh strawberries.
- Butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Milk
- Sour cream
- AP flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Fresh strawberries
- Freeze-dried strawberries
- Golden Oreos
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberry extract
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Beat the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Stir in the finely chopped strawberries.
Step 4: Divide the batter up in a prepared 12-muffin pan. Bake at 350F for 20-25 mins or until the tops of the cupcakes are set.
Step 5: Make the icing and use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the icing out on each of the 12 cupcakes.
Step 6: In a food processor, blend the freeze-dried strawberries and oreos until they are crumbled. Add in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and pulse until combined.
Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Roll the iced cupcakes in the mixture until thoroughly coated. Top the cupcakes with fresh strawberries and/or golden oreos.
Hint: Once the iced cupcakes are coated in the strawberry crunch mixture, you can easily shape any imperfections with a clean hand.
Substitutions
If some of the ingredients don't work for you, that's totally fine!! Here are some of my recommended substitution ingredients.
- Milk: Use high-fat non-dairy milk if you don't want to use dairy! I highly recommend Oatly oat milk (full-fat or regular would be ideal).
- Butter: Use a non-dairy butter like Country Crock's plant butter. I've also had great luck using that brand in frosting.
- Sour cream: I love Tofutti's vegan sour cream for cakes.
Variations
- Lemon - Add 2-3 Tablespoons of lemon zest to the cupcake batter
- Berries - Use any chopped berries and freeze-dried berries that you want!
- Chocolate crunch - I think this would be delicious with chocolate Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional, can use a hand mixer)
- Wisk attachment
- Paddle attachment
- Kitchen Scale
- 12-Cupcake pan
- Cupcake liners
- 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop (optional)
- Food processor
- if you don't have a food processor, add the ingredients to a ziplock bag and crunch them up by hand!
Storage
Store at room temperature for 3-5 days. Can freeze for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Don't overbake your cupcakes or they will end up dry! Take them out as soon as the tops are rounded and you can lightly tap the tops without them falling.
FAQ
Yes! Check out my "substitutions" section above for my favorite dairy alternatives for baking.
No! Feel free to leave it out or swap it with some extra vanilla extract.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional, can use a hand mixer)
- Wisk attachment
- Paddle attachment
- Kitchen Scale
- 12-Cupcake pan
- Cupcake liners
- 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop (optional)
- Food processor (if you don't have a food processor, add the ingredients to a ziplock bag and crunch them up by hand!)
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups AP flour 180g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream room temp, 60g
- ¼ cup milk room temp, 60ml
- ½ cup fresh strawberries finely chopped 100g
Strawberry Vanilla Buttercream
- ¾ cups butter room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar 360g
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon strawberry extract optional
Strawberry Crunch Topping
- ½ cups golden oreos 10 oreos
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries 10g
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Finely chop ½ a cup (100g) of fresh strawberries and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly stir in the eggs on a low setting until just combined (you don’t want to over mix the eggs).
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the room-temperature milk and sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
- Turn the stand mixer on the lowest setting and slowly add in half of the milk mixture. Then, add in half of the dry mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining half of the wet and dry mixtures. (Gradually adding these ingredients results in the most consistent batter)
- Next, stir in the 100g of finely chopped strawberries using a spatula or the stand mixer on the “stir” or lowest setting.
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, evenly divide the batter throughout a prepared 12-muffin baking pan. They should be filled just over halfway and the batter will be a bit thick. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool fully before decorating.
Make the buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar in 1 cup at a time followed by remaining ingredients until the texture is to your liking.
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the icing onto the cooled cupcakes. It will look a bit messy, but once you dip them in the strawberry crunch topping, they will look much more uniform.
Make the strawberry crunch topping
- In a food processor, add in the Oreos, freeze-dried strawberries, and salt (optional). Pulse until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Add in the melted butter and pulse again until combined.
Assemble the cupcakes
- Add the crunch mixture to a small bowl and gently dip the iced cupcakes into the mix. Lightly roll the icing in the mixture until filly coated. Once coated, you can easily shape any imperfections with a clean hand.
- Top with strawberries and/or golden Oreos! Serve immediately and enjoy!
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