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Independence Day (July 4th) is almost upon us, and along with it comes a host of outdoor picnics and parties. My family celebrates this day with a casual feast – fresh, local fruits and veggies, potato and pasta salads, and grilled meats. And always strawberry shortcake for dessert. I’m not a huge fan of strawberry shortcake in general (shocking, I know :) ), mostly because I don’t like how soggy the shortcake gets once the strawberries are scooped on top. These cute little cupcakes completely eliminate the soggy shortcake problem. And better yet, they can be made in advance.
I’ve noticed that buttercream is a particularly opinionated topic for many people. A lot of times to make a quick buttercream (also called a “Simple Buttercream” or “American Buttercream”), I beat together butter and powdered sugar with a little milk and add vanilla or some other extract for flavor. This Simple Buttercream is fairly thick and holds up very nicely. It’s tasty enough (although usually very sweet) for a quick frosting; however, many people say that a true buttercream must contain eggs.
For these cupcakes I wanted something special, so I decided to make a Swiss buttercream. There are several different types of buttercream (such as Italian, French, and Swiss) that differ in the way they are prepared. To make Swiss buttercream, egg whites and sugar are heated over a double boiler to dissolve the sugar and pasteurize the egg. Then the egg white/sugar mixture is whipped until thick and glossy and butter is whipped in to stabilize the cream. The end result is a smooth, light, and creamy frosting that is not overly sweet.*
Brandy and I announced our Fourth of July event on All Through the Year Cheer! To participate all you have to do is make a recipe that represents this holiday to you; remember, there is a fantastic prize for the winner. See here for info on how to enter (you don’t need to have a blog to be able to enter!).
To Make Ahead: Buttercream: You can make the buttercream up to 5 days ahead and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. To use it, bring frosting to room temperature, then stir it until smooth. Pipe it onto the cupcakes as normal. Cupcakes: You can make them up to 3 days ahead and store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Frost the cupcakes the same day you’re going to be serving them.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
(Yield: 20 cupcakes)
Strawberry Jelly Filling (Makes a little over 1 c):
2 c (about 10 oz) sliced strawberries
1/4 c water
3 TB sugar
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 TB cold water
1 1/2 c white sugar
3/4 c canola oil
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Swiss Buttercream (Makes about 3 c):
3 large egg whites
1 c sugar
Pinch salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 tsp pure vanilla or almond extract
Additional:
Strawberries (optional, for garnish)
Edible pearl dust (optional, for garnish)
Cupcake liners
Cupcake baking pan
For the filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the berries, water, and sugar (uncovered) for about 10 minutes or until the berries are softened, stirring occasionally. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook another minute, stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken). Cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge while you make the cupcakes (the jelly filling will thicken more as it cools).
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F; line the cupcake baking pan with cupcake liners. Beat together the sugar and oil, then cream in the eggs until light and fluffy, and then stir in the milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet; stir until just combined, making sure not to over-mix. Fill each cupcake liner about half full of batter. Add a scant tablespoon of jelly filling to each, then add more batter to cover the jelly. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until light golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the cupcake baking pan and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before icing.
For the buttercream: In a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm (about 140F), whisking frequently (about 3-5 minutes). Transfer the egg white/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the salt and beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy (about 5-7 minutes). Gradually add the butter piece by piece while beating, then beat in the extract; stop beating when the buttercream is thick and smooth.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the buttercream on top. If desired, decorate the tops with a strawberry and a sprinkle of pearl dust.
*For more information on buttercream, see Wikipedia.
Thick & Glossy Meringue
Finished Buttercream
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Can u explain how u did the piping on the top of the cupcakes? What tip etc could help…..I really want to try it. Thanks!!!!
Jeni, The tip I used was a Wilton #199. When I was piping the frosting on top, I held the bag almost straight above the cupcakes, then instead of squeezing the frosting out evenly, I piped it out in bursts. I would squeeze and then release, so you get the wavy effect that you see. Good luck, I hope your cupcakes turn out gorgeous!
I just made these cupcakes and they were absolutely amazing!! My boyfriend loved them! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you soo much!!
These were super good! Loved the yellow cake and the filling, it was great together. Me and my friend had a wonderful time pipping the top (we failed XD) It might be me but I feel the buttercream was too… buttery, any suggestions for other toppings? If not then I might just make some whipped cream.
Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the cupcakes! The Swiss meringue buttercream is definitely very buttery — instead, you could try my recipe for Vegan Buttercream Frosting (just omit the cocoa powder if you want it all vanilla), and you can use butter instead of the margarine if you prefer. Or I think whipped cream would also be delicious!
Faith
Thank you! Just what I was looking for! My family LOVED them, I made them for Mother’s Day!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2088859299679&set=a.1538870510303.2070808.1191101064&type=1&ref=notif¬if_t=like&theater
Jennifer, That’s awesome, I’m so happy your family enjoyed them!!
I just made these and I dyed the batter pink and used a strawberry whipped cream topping instead (just to lighten them up a bit) GREAT recipe :) Thanks for sharing
Okay, good advice. Let me retry again now that the strawberries are in season again. Yey! I will come back and post my findings. (I don’t think I put my filling in the frig. :( )
Will come back soon.
My cupcakes did not cook properly. At 16 mins, they were browning on top, so I took them out. As they cooled down, a hole started forming in the center. Upon slicing one of the cupcakes, I observerd the strawberry jelly has floated to the bottom into a gooey mess. Although still edible, it was not the best presentation for my friend’s bday party! :( Any ideas or tips for success next time? Thanks. BTW, frosting was awesome. This recipe mentions it is not too sweet, but it’s not anymore sweet than other desserts.
My possible reasons for disaster: I put the cupcake pan on the top rack? Does this matter?
Possible that I mixed the batter too much before adding the dry ingredients?
Was the jelly filling too watery? Some of the cupcakes did not develop a hole.
Thanks
Leticia, I’m sorry to hear that your cupcakes didn’t turn out. Without being right there in the kitchen with you to see exactly what you did, it’s hard to know what went wrong along the way. Right off the bat from reading what you said, it sounds like there may have been a couple mistakes:
1) The cupcakes weren’t cooked long enough (16 minutes at 350F isn’t enough time), which is probably why a “hole” formed in the center…basically, they weren’t done in the middle so they sank.
2) The cupcakes were baked on the top rack — unless I specifically say otherwise in a recipe, I always bake mine in the middle so neither the tops nor the bottoms brown too quickly.
3) The batter may have been over-mixed, but this would likely lead to tough cupcakes more than anything else. (Like I state in the recipe, be careful not to over-mix this batter.)
As far as the filling goes, I’m not sure if yours was too watery or not. Did you follow the directions and let it chill in the fridge to finish thickening before using it? You can see the consistency of my filling…did yours look similar? Again, without being there with you, it’s hard to know where you went wrong.
Hope this info helps!
I loveeeee your strawberry shortcake cupcakes recipe! i mead it last nite and it’s totally awosome and cute, thanks!
These are absolutely beautiful cupcakes! I love the strawberry jelly in the middle- your version looks much more portable than regular strawberry shortcake. Your Swiss meringue piping is gorgeous too. Thanks for sharing!
The frosting looks amazing. I love how you’ve piped it. What a fun alternative to strawberry shortcake.
I love strawberry shortcake, but I think I could love these cupcakes too.
Mimi
Happy Wednesday!
faithhh.. i misseedd ye yummmyyy recipesss… these cup cakes look sooo pretty.. my daughters favourite one :)
How absolutely stunning! Is it possible to eat such a beautiful cupcake? I suppose it is, because they look delicious too! Fabulous photos!
I stumbled upon your blog @ A Duck In Her Pond, & I’m so glad! Definitely following ♥
* http://donandamanda.blogspot.com *
Great Dane Wednesdays: Layla & Lucius!
What beautiful cupcakes and frosting.
Beautiful! In the first shot your frosting looks like a basket weave. Yum!
These babies are just filled with spring goodness! I am so impressed with your swiss buttercream…I’ve been too intimidated to go there yet…but one of these days. I love that you stuffed these with strawberry filling. Bites of heaven.
I’ve never really been a fan of shortcake before either, but these didn’t last long enough to get soggy. :P
OMG… these look so good… I have yet to even attempt to make cupcakes. One of these days I will finally get around to it, and when I do I want to try to make these!!!
These are the most beautiful cupcakes I’ve seen in a while! I love the way you frosted them so perfectly.
I am bookmarking this recipe so I can try it for my friend’s baby shower next week. I really think they’ll be a hit! Hopefully I can find the time to make it happen. :)
These cupcakes look really wonderful Faith and perfect for a Fourth of July celebration! I love the touch of the strawberry surprise in the middle and the lovely buttercream: great choice too with the egg whites one, it looks more like a meringue and very dainty and elegant.
What a cute idea for the 4th, Faith! They look delicious and I love how you frosted them!
These are really special Faith! I can imagine biting into them and finding that delicious surprise in the middle. Perfect.
These cupcakes look so good and the decoration so professional.
Mmmm.. those are the most scrumptious cupcakes ever! So wonderful with jelly filling and Swiss buttercream!
I’m not crazy about shortcakes with biscuits, but I would love these cupcakes!! They look fantastic.
I just love the way you do that frosting… it looks like little ropes of sugary goodness. Great idea for a cupcake too… really gets me in the mood for the holiday! Great pictures too, Faith!
These are simply gorgeous! I love how you piped the buttercream and the filling would be heavenly. You are so talented.
i made my first batch of swiss buttercream the other day and incorporated some pureed strawberries–it was INCREDIBLE. the cake was completely unnecessary. :)
these cupcakes rock, faith–i love the idea and i love the decorous frosting application!
Faith, your cupcakes are so cute…lovely decorated :-) Love it!
Oh, YUM! Strawberry shortcake is so summery and is perfect for the Fourth of July! LOVE Swiss buttercream…I could eat that by the ladlefull! :)
I’m drooling at your beautiful frosting and those are so moist…
They are darling! You did a beautiful job on the frosting. I’m not a huge buttercream fan, but if I’m in the mood to go crazy with sweets, it’s definitely the way to go. My dad used to decorate cakes when I was growing up…just for fun. So we ALWAYS had a TON of buttercream in the fridge and I think I just got burnt out on the stuff. :) Eggs though? Huh. Of course I think..food borne illness, but I sure don’t mind when it’s cookie dough ;)
Nicole, I know what you mean, I am usually worried about raw egg too (except of course in cookie dough form ;) ). Luckily, the eggs in this buttercream are cooked to 140F so they’re safe to eat. :)
Those cupcakes sound and look wonderful! What a treat…
All I can say is WOW! These look so amazing and perfect. I love your photos. The meringue totally brought back memories of me helping my mom in the kitchen!
Those are so cute! I can’t wait to try your oat bread!
These look fabulous! I love the look of your icing! And of course any cupcake, especially a filled one, sounds fabulous!
I plan to sit here all night and look at these beautiful creations. They are magnificent. Thanks for the info on the different buttercreams.
What a gorgeous cupcake. Wonderful job piping the frosting. A+++
Cheers!
oh faith i am drooling……seriously this is so not fair to see these beautiful creations and not get to have one. one would taste so great with my tea right now. you have REALLY outdone yourself-YUM!
This is a wonderful cupcake recipe. I am a huge fan of strawberry shortcake and I love this because it is a more convenient way to serve it and eat. Yours came out so pretty. Thanks for sharing this:) I have to find out how to bookmark so that I can bookmark this.
Thanks for stopping by my blog too:)
They look divine Faith! I love the little strawberry surprise in the centre too :) I’ve usually only made the simple buttercream but yours looks very pristinely white so perhaps I should give that a go when I’m going for that really white shade! I’m going to look up Independence Day so that I can see what I can make! :D Thanks for your events, they’re so much fun!
I actually don’t mind, maybe even like, the sogginess that the strawberries give the cake when you put them on top. I like that the cake abosrbs the strawberry flavor. But you did a great job solving the problem so you can enjoy it! These are just precious!
Wow!Those cupcakes looks absolutely marvelous – and kids would LOVE them.
These cupcakes are perfection! I love the piped buttercream and the strawberry jelly filling. You are so talented!
Faith,
Strawberry cupcake with butter cream frosting looks really cute. I will try this frosting, as it contains cooked egg wwhites i am happy.
If these cupcakes are as scrumptious as they are adorable…you’ll have a clear winner in your hand ;o)
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
What beautiful cupcakes these are. I need to try this frosting recipe, it is lovely, I have been avoiding using a thermometer, but these meringue frostings look the best.