These Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes are light, moist, have the perfect pop of strawberry flavor, and are super simple to make! We use boxed cake mix for the vanilla cupcakes, a strawberry puree made from fresh strawberries for the swirl and drizzle, and a homemade whipped cream. These are quick, easy, and definitely a crowd pleaser!
I absolutely love that these cupcakes look extremely fancy but are really simple to throw together. The longest part is waiting for the strawberry puree to cool. This recipe is so wonderful when you are short on time but really want to wow your guests, craving strawberry desserts, or just looking for something different but not complicated.
Strawberry Swirl Cupcake Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients that make up these delicious cupcakes.
Boxed Cake Mix
While I typically favor making cake from scratch, these cupcakes are fabulous with boxed cake mix. More specifically, I use either Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix or Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Classic White. You really cannot tell it is from a box and it saves a ton of time!
Strawberry Puree
Even though frozen strawberries can be used, fresh are preferred for the best flavor. We give the strawberries a quick mix in our blender (optional), strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and then cook the puree on the stove to thicken. The strained puree produces a sweet, delicious swirl and drizzle for our cupcakes.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Our Stabilized Whipped Cream is perfect for these cupcakes because it is light and holds its form. We use cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, pure vanilla extract, and heavy cream in this recipe. Be sure to use full-fat block style cream cheese, not the spreadable tub.
How To Create The Strawberry Swirl in the Cupcakes
The strawberry swirl is really simple to add to the cupcakes.
- First, prepare batter according to the instructions on the box and pour batter into cupcake liners.
- Next, with a spoon, add about 1 tablespoon of cooled strawberry puree to the middle of each cupcake.
Add Strawberry Puree to Batter - Finally, using a toothpick or knife, gently swirl the puree into the batter until it is just mixed.
Gently Swirl the Puree into the Batter - Bake cupcakes for 14-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted has a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes. Then, remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks. The batter around the swirl may appear “wet” and fall just a bit – that’s normal and it will be covered with the whipped cream.
Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes
CAN Strawberry Swirl CUPCAKES BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
Yes! While I prefer to serve these the same day, they will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When making these for a party, I store mine in these convenient individual containers.
Tips
- Boxed cake mix – In order to save time, we use boxed cake mix in this recipe. Our two favorites are Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix or Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Classic White.
- Over-mixing – Take care to not over-mix the cupcake batter. When batter is mixed too much, it results in the gluten being activated. If this occurs, the cupcakes may be dense and chewy.
- Whipped cream – While most recipes call for room temperature ingredients, whipped cream is the exact opposite. You will want your cream cheese and heavy cream to be cold, cold, cold! The reason for this is because the fat in the dairy emulsifies faster when chilled.
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Cupcake Pan – to bake cupcakes
- Blender – to blend strawberries
- Fine Mesh Strainer – to strain strawberries
- Cooling Racks – to cool cupcakes and dishwasher friendly!!
- Wilton Decorating Kit – piping tips, bags, couplers, and more for decorating cupcakes
- Master Decorating Kit – ultimate cake decorating tip set
- Stand Mixer – to mix batter
- Hand Mixer – to mix frosting
If You Liked This Recipe, Try Our
Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes
These Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes are light, moist, have the perfect pop of strawberry flavor, and are super simple to make! We use boxed cake mix for the vanilla cupcakes, a strawberry puree made from fresh strawberries for the swirl and drizzle, and a homemade whipped cream. These are quick, easy, and definitely a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- STRAWBERRY PUREE:
- 2 cups (334 g) fresh strawberries, chopped
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- VANILLA CUPCAKES:
- 1 box (16.25 oz) white cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist or Duncan Hines)
- STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM:
- 8 oz (1 block) full-fat cream cheese, cold
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
Directions
- Step 1 STRAWBERRY PUREE: Using a blender or food processor, pulse strawberries and water until no solids remain. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan and discard seeds. (If you do not have a blender, you can mash the strawberries in the saucepan as you cook them and discard the solids after the puree is thickened.) Stir in sugar and cornstarch, bringing to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. Once simmering, decrease heat to medium-low and reduce until slightly thickened (about 10 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and salt. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Step 2 CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with 24 liners. Prepare batter according to instructions on the box and then pour batter into cupcake liners. With a spoon, add about 1 tablespoon of cooled strawberry puree to the middle of each cupcake. Using a toothpick or knife, gently swirl the puree into the batter until it is just mixed. (See photo in above post for reference.) Bake for 14-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted has a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes. Then, remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks. The batter around the swirl may appear “wet” and fall just a bit – that’s normal and it will be covered with the whipped cream.
- Step 3 STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth (about 1 minute). Add confectioners’ sugar and beat slowly until incorporated. Then, add vanilla and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth. Scrape down sides with spatula and beat again briefly. With mixer on low, slowly pour in heavy cream. Once all the cream is added, increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Step 4 ASSEMBLY: After cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe whipped cream on top. Then, using a piping bag or spoon, drizzle leftover strawberry puree on top of the whipped cream.
- Step 5 STORAGE: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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