Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Posted on July 8, 2009 / 13 comments » / Uncategorized

Cupcakes are the perfect celebration treat – especially for birthdays. So when my boyfriend’s cousin Jeanette’s birthday came along I knew I had to make her cupcakes. Even though she said she wasn’t a fussy eater, I wanted to keep them simple yet flavorful. I opted for a basic vanilla cupcake and jazzed up the frosting.

Cassie of How to Eat a Cupcake is the self-proclaimed (or maybe I proclaimed it) Queen of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC). Well, if she is the Queen, then I am the Princess. SMBC is my absolute favorite frosting. It’s mature, luxurious, silky, creamy….wait….what was I talking about…oh yes…frosting. I’ve never met another one like it. If it wasn’t for fear of going into hypoglycemic shock, I would probably have it sans cake.

So this cupcake is more about the icing than the cake. (But don’t worry – the cake was fabulous too and the recipe is from one of my favorite NYC bakeries – Magnolia) I took the SMBC base and added diced fresh strawberries to it with a few drops of lemon extract and WHOA! It was fantabulous.

Frosting these babies was a bit challenging. Since the berries were cut into small chunks) and then macerated for a few minutes with a bit of sugar and lemon extract) they never really “blended” with the frosting. I made it work and thank goodness I did because the cupcakes were super yummy. The addition of fresh strawberries as opposed to jam/jelly/preserves have them a burst of freshness – perfect for summer.

And the birthday girl loved them. Mission Accomplished!

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes
From: More from Magnolia by Alyssa Torey
Yield: About 2 dozen cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.

For the SMBC recipe click here. To make it strawberry, add 1-2 cups of chopped strawberries that have been macerated in 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and 3-6 drops of lemon extract.

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13 Responses to “Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream”

  1. 1

    William Casper — July 8, 2009 @ 4:28 pm

    I'm channeling Homer Simpson right now…ummmm, yummy.

  2. 2

    Megan — July 8, 2009 @ 5:28 pm

    I just made Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes for 4th of July! Love that recipe! Your strawberry frosting looks to die for! Wish I had one of those cupcakes right now for an after-lunch snack!

  3. 3

    Tracey — July 8, 2009 @ 7:39 pm

    Ooooh, those look delicious! I'll have to make them for my mom – she loves fresh strawberries in cupcakes/frosting.

  4. 4

    Ingrid — July 8, 2009 @ 11:31 pm

    Mmmm, those look good. I've made an Italian Meringue Buttercream but have yet to make a Swiss. I guess I'm missing out and I need to give it a try. :) ~ingrid

  5. 5

    Jen @ MyKitchenAddiction.com — July 9, 2009 @ 1:58 pm

    I have not yet tried SMBC… I think I need to. Those strawberries in the frosting look beautiful. Makes me want to eat a cupcake… right now!

  6. 6

    Teanna — July 9, 2009 @ 6:31 pm

    So funny – I was just reading a post on "My Baking Addiction" about strawberry frosting – hers was from Sprinkles, yours is from Magnolia. I once combined a Sprinkles recipe with a Magnolia recipe for a red velvet cupcake showdown – looks like I'm going to have to try it again! Yours look out of this world good!

  7. 7

    Paris Pastry — July 9, 2009 @ 7:03 pm

    I've tried the Magnolia cupcakes recipe but it didn't work for me! It didn't rise at all, however I am addicted to Magnolia's Buttercream recipe!!! :D

  8. 8

    biz319 — July 10, 2009 @ 7:13 pm

    I usually don't like sweet things, but I love these cupcakes! Happy Friday!

  9. 9

    burpandslurp — July 11, 2009 @ 2:36 am

    oh, I love strawberry frosting. They give such a pretty pink color!

  10. 10

    Bunny — July 12, 2009 @ 1:30 am

    I bet it was fabulous!! Don't you just love being able to use the fruit when it's in season!

  11. 11

    Flourchild — July 12, 2009 @ 3:35 am

    I wanted to tell you Im sorry I did not participate this week with you. Life has been wild and crazy and I hurt my back. My back is good now but it took 5 days of laying around with ice on it! I hope you enjoyed the cheesecake!

  12. 12

    lindsey.hefner at gmail.com — July 12, 2009 @ 7:15 pm

    what about pureeing the fresh strawberries before adding them to the buttercream? Fresh strawberry buttercream is hard to beat and pureeing it makes it easier to pipe/spread.Awesome looking cupcakes!

  13. 13

    Katrina — July 13, 2009 @ 12:17 am

    Yum! Love the look of the icing piled up on top!

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