baking

Name: Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 2 h 28 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups cake flour; 2 cups granulated sugar; 3 eggs; 1 1/4 cups whole milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract; 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp; 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp; 12 ounces cream cheese, 1 1/2 8 oz pkgs; 1 1/2 cups FREEZE DRIED strawberries, or 1.2 oz package; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar; pinch salt; 8 fresh strawberries - sliced thinly; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup water

Easy Rum Balls Recipe for the holidays

December 15, 2020

This easy rum balls recipe is a tasty treat for grown-ups. This traditional no bake recipe comes together in no time and because the flavor develops even more overnight, it’s the perfect make ahead sweet. For an even more decadent treat, try chocolate covered rum balls!

Rum balls in round red bowl with cream background.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without these old fashioned rum balls. They are as much a part of our holiday treats as gingerbread, buckeyes and sugar cookies. This recipe makes 5 dozen, so it is great for cookie exchanges and gift-giving.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

How to make lemon ricotta cookies

December 11, 2020

Lemon ricotta cookies are soft, fluffy, cake-like cookies. Topped with a sweet-tart lemon glaze, they are a great addition to holiday dessert platters. If soft, frosted cookies are your favorite, check out this pumpkin cookie recipe.

lemon ricotta cookies with sprinkles on white plate with lights in background

Lemon ricotta are one of my favorite cookies. They are perfectly lemony, soft and fluffy cookies. The lemon glaze on top is an absolute must.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

Butter Pecan Biscotti with Chocolate

November 11, 2020

Butter pecan biscotti are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges and for sharing! These biscotti mimic the buttery, nutty goodness in butter pecan ice cream. For another delicious and unique treat, try these almond biscotti with golden raisins.

stacked butter pecan biscotti on white plate with red tablecloth

They have a double hit of nutty flavor from both the toasted pecans and brown butter.

Biscotti are perfect for mailing to friends and family. They are a sturdy cookie that won’t break during shipping, so they are my “go to” for sending as gifts.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

Easy fig tart recipe with puff pastry

August 20, 2020

Store-bought puff pastry makes this fig tart recipe quick and easy. Ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes and individually sized, these tarts are perfect for sharing. A handful of fresh figs, a sheet of puff pastry and a bit of sweetened cream cheese come together to make a delicious and simple dessert.

side view of fig tart recipe with sliced fig on plate

Figs are a favorite of mine. From fig jam to panna cotta with bourbon-poached figs, you’ll find a few fig recipes here. Figs are just barely sweet, but when they are overly ripe can be jammy and have hints of honey.

…

Easy Blueberry Peach Muffins with Streusel

June 15, 2020

Easy Blueberry Peach Muffins are the perfect weekend treat. Bursting with fruit and covered with buttery streusel topping, these delicious muffins will quickly become a new favorite. Muffin lovers should also try these banana muffins with cinnamon streusel.

blueberry peach muffins in brown muffin papers

Get the best of the summer produce and bake up a batch of these delicious muffins. Full of fresh blueberries and peaches, they are a delightful way to start the weekend. What’s better than a warm muffin with your morning coffee? Nothing, that’s what.

…

How to Make Blueberry Mini Pies from Scratch

April 21, 2020

Blueberry Mini Pies are the epitome of summer. Ripe, juicy blueberries fill delicious buttery dough for the perfect hand-held pie. Mini blueberry pies are perfect for lunch bags, afternoon treats, beach day picnics, and they are small enough for little hands. Mini blueberry pies or mini cherry pies are also great for all of the red, white and blue holidays.

One of my favorite things about these pies is that they are hand held. No need for utensils, plates or clean-up, which in my opinion is one of the best things about these hand pies.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

Blueberry Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

April 18, 2020

Blueberry bundt cake is the kind of cake I serve guests. It’s easy, delicious and not fussy at all. It is perfect for beginner bakers as well as more experienced bakers. Buttermilk bundt cakes, like this one and also this chocolate bundt have great flavor.

Making a cake from scratch is barely more work than making it from a box and you will be rewarded with something so good, you’ll be glad you put in the extra few minutes of time. The glaze is made with three ingredients and takes less than a minute to make.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please visit my policy page.

…

Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

April 14, 2020

This chocolate bundt cake recipe is made with buttermilk, making it a delicious and moist cake. Perfect as is, but made even better with a dark chocolate ganache. A bit of espresso powder really brings out the chocolate flavor, making this cake the perfect chocolate bundt.

I love adding buttermilk to bundt cakes. It gives them a nice tanginess and flavor, like this blueberry bundt cake that I make every spring.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

February 3, 2020

Simple vanilla cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting are the perfect cupcakes for any occasion. From birthday parties to Mother’s Day, summer backyard BBQ’s to school bake sales and of course Valentine’s Day, these cupcakes will become your go-to recipe.

Made from scratch, with zero artificial coloring, this strawberry cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to this easy vanilla cupcake. Try pairing this frosting with cream cheese cupcakes for another delicious combination.

If you’re looking for an icing made with fresh strawberries, try my strawberry cream cheese icing recipe. It’s perfect for topping pound cakes, cookies or even muffins.

Vanilla cupcake recipe

Vanilla cupcakes sometimes get a bad rap. They are often thought of as the “Plain Jane” of the cupcake world, but when done right, they can be absolute perfection. Vanilla doesn’t have to be boring and when it’s topped with this strawberry cream cheese frosting, it is anything but dull.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkles on a cooling rack.

Vanilla is the number one flavor for a reason. It is versatile, lots of people like it and it pairs with almost anything. It’s also popular with kids parties because it isn’t a strong flavor, there is no food coloring and you really can’t go wrong with homemade vanilla cupcakes.

I love this recipe. Delicious and turned out beautiful each time, this is truly a keeper!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!! – Merry

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a breeze to make, and they freeze really well. When I make a batch, I keep a half dozen or so aside to freeze for those days when I might “need” a cupcake.

Bakeries typically make cupcakes (and cakes) ahead of time and freeze them for later use, so it stands to reason that this will work at home as well. Make a double batch and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. The next time you need cupcakes for a party, all you have to do is frost them.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

My first attempt at this frosting was a complete and epic failure. It was a runny, sloppy mess. I used fresh strawberries and if I wanted more of a glaze, like say for a pound cake, it would’ve been fine. That was not what I wanted, so back to the drawing board.

Next, I tried roasting the strawberries. I thought I would get a nice, deep flavor from them and also bake out some of the moisture. That didn’t work either. At this point, I’m starting to develop a complex, but I’m also slightly miffed and I’m not about to let it get the best of me.

vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting cut in half

My third attempt was with strawberry jam. Better, but it didn’t taste very “strawberry-y”. That’s a word, right? The consistency was a little softer than I wanted, but the flavor was my major complaint. It didn’t taste like strawberry.

I wanted there to be no doubt that this was strawberry cream cheese frosting. At this point, I’m frustrated. I went to the store and as I’m walking down one of the aisles, I spied freeze-dried strawberries. I thought “Well, it can’t be any worse”. So, I bought them.

I went home and emptied a bag into the food processor. I ended up with bright pink rubble. As soon as I opened the lid and saw this strawberry powder, I knew I was on to something good. Finally.

All I wanted was a vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting, and I was finally going to get it.

This strawberry cream cheese frosting actually tastes like strawberry! This may seem like a strange statement, but please tell me I’m not the only person on the planet who has ordered something strawberry-flavored, only to have it fall flat. Or worse, it tastes artificial. This frosting honestly tastes like strawberries.

Award Winning Cupcakes

These vanilla cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting are award-winning treats. They were entered into a baking contest and took home a ribbon, so I can confidently say that they are pretty good.

For me, the picture above is the perfect ratio of frosting to cupcake. I like enough, but not too much. I’ve always preferred the cake to the frosting, until now.

To garnish them, I made candied strawberry slices. Because, you know I had a bunch.

LOOKING FOR MORE CUPCAKES?

Are you on Instagram? Me too! Let’s be friends!

Please share!

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board. If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

Please consider rating and/or commenting. I love hearing from you! Did you make this recipe? Tag me on instagram @pookspantry or share it in the Fabulous Foodie Friends Facebook group! I can’t wait to see your version!

USED TO MAKE VANILLA CUPCAKES:

If you were to make a purchase through one of the following affiliate links, I would receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please refer to my policy page.

vanilla cupcakes with black background — *Vanilla Cupcakes*

Yield: 30 cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

A simple vanilla cupcake topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting that actually tastes like strawberry. This frosting is bursting with strawberry flavor. Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect cupcake for any occasion.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Bake Time 18 minutes

Candied Strawberry Slices Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 28 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp
12 ounces cream cheese, 1 1/2 8 oz pkgs
1 1/2 cups FREEZE DRIED strawberries, or 1.2 oz package
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch salt

For Candied Strawberry Slices

8 fresh strawberries - sliced thinly
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Make the candied strawberry slices

Preheat oven to 225°F.
In a small pot, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until sugar has completely dissolved. (You just made a simple syrup)
Dip strawberry slices into simple syrup and lay them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (Silpat) or parchment paper.
Bake for 2 hours. Remove, set aside to cool.

Make Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F
Whisk flours, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.
Add 1/3 of the flour, half of the milk, followed by another third of the flour, the remaining milk and ending with flour.
Scrape bowl, making sure to get the bottom. Fold it a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake papers and fill 2/3 full. Bake for 16 - 18 minutes, or when tester comes out with a few crumbs on it.
Remove from oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Make Frosting

In a food processor (or spice grinder), grind freeze-dried strawberries until they are a fine powder. It's ok if there are a few pieces as long as they are not bigger than a small pea. Set aside.
Beat butter and cream cheese together. Add lemon juice, strawberry powder, powdered sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy (about 5 minutes)
Pipe frosting on cupcakes, or use a small knife or off-set spatula. Garnish, if desired.

Notes

CHEF'S NOTES:
You can make strawberry slices a day ahead. I have made them on a silpat and on parchment. A few stuck on the parchment and had to be carefully peeled off, but it wasn't catastrophic. That being said, they didn't stick at all on the silpat.
Make sure the strawberries for the frosting are FREEZE DRIED. Not "dried" fruit, like raisins or dried cranberries. This will not work.

Gluten Free Clementine Cake Recipe

December 14, 2019

This clementine cake is gluten free, made in the food processor and comes out of the pan like a dream. It couldn’t be easier and it is deliciously moist. The smell of clementines cooking fills the house with a bright, citrusy aroma, which is wonderful this time of the year. Another holiday treat we love right now are these gluten free rum balls.

Clementine Cake

When the mercury drops and you are puttering around the house, this is the perfect baking endeavor.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

Easy Rum Balls Recipe for the holidays

How to make lemon ricotta cookies

Easy fig tart recipe with puff pastry

Easy Blueberry Peach Muffins with Streusel

How to Make Blueberry Mini Pies from Scratch

Blueberry Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Vanilla cupcake recipe

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Award Winning Cupcakes

LOOKING FOR MORE CUPCAKES?

Please share!

USED TO MAKE VANILLA CUPCAKES: