Make Ahead

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

by:
July 11, 2021
4
8 Ratings
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 24
Author Notes

Martha Stewart's Angel Food Cake turned into cupcakes, filled with a strawberry-sugar mixture, and topped with a strawberry whipped cream frosting. For step-by-step photos, go to my post at: http://www.icancookthat.org/2013/02/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes.html —I Can Cook That

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 zest from lemon
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 quart container of strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 8 ounces container cream cheese
  • 2 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4-5 strawberries, stems removed and finely chopped
Directions
  1. Begin by combining the 3/4 container of chopped strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to use.
  2. To make the angel food cake cupcakes, line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Sift flour and salt into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Separate egg whites from yolks.
  5. Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Juice the lemon.
  6. Add the egg whites to a mixer and beat on medium high until foamy (about 1 minute).
  7. Add the lemon juice to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form.
  8. Continue to beat, adding about 1 tablespoon sugar at a time, until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes, using 1 1/4 cups cups sugar in total. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
  9. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg-white mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, folding the flour into the egg whites using a rubber spatula each time. Be careful not to over mix, you want it to stay really fluffy.
  10. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tins (about a heaping tablespoon in each one) and smooth the tops of each.
  11. Bake until golden, or approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan. While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, prepare the frosting.
  12. Combine the cream cheese, the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium speed until smooth.
  13. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in the finely chopped strawberries.
  14. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a small paring knife to cut out the center of the cupcake.
  15. Fill with some of the strawberry-sugar mixture.
  16. Add the frosting to a plastic bag and cut a small corner off the bottom of the bag. Pipe the icing on to the cupcakes and top with a strawberry slice.
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  • Martin
    Martin
  • Michelle de Lima
    Michelle de Lima
  • Deelish!
    Deelish!
  • Darian
    Darian

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12 Reviews

Martin
Martin September 29, 2021
I first made these and filled until 3/4 of the cupcake linings and had a bunch of dough left, for like 9 more. They looked fine in the oven, but as soon as they came out of the oven they shrank a bunch and pulled the lining with them, making them look terrible. I noticed someone had the exact same comment on the link provided, but no one has answered.

I thought I'd try the recipe again and filled the linings to the brim and then some; I had no leftover dough this time. They expanded a lot in the oven, then fell a bit, but the linings retained their shape. I also made sure that I didn't leave them in the oven any more than necessary cause the first batch tasted a bit eggish and I'm guessing that's cause the top was too brown.

Next time when they are done I will leave them in the oven with the door open so hopefully they will shrink even less. I was also careful to add just a bit of strawberry at a time to the frosting so it didn't go watery on me.

That being said, my wife loved these. Like, eat-4-in-a-row-without-pause loved. I'm sure if I'd let her she would eat 9. The strawberry filling mix perfectly with the pillowly cupcakes, and the cream on top brings it all together. To be honest, they didn't look appealing to me (I generally don't like whipped cream), but they really tasted good, beyond my expectations. Have to agree that the flavor profile was spot on and felt like everything worked perfectly together. I will make them again for sure!
 
Deelish!
Deelish! July 11, 2021
Terrific flavor profile. The frosting was very good - I didn't add all the strawberry juice based on other reviews. It tastes a bit like strawberry ice cream. It does puzzle me that we're using an angel food cake base for cupcakes. Usually, you cool an angel food cake upside down to stretch the bubbles and get a lighter sponge - impossible with cupcakes & the foam collapses a bit as it cools. So, I made one batch of cupcakes, and put the rest of the batter in an angel food cake pan. The cake was easier & lighter and the family loved it.
 
Darian
Darian February 10, 2020
Perfection! I made these for my chocolate-hating Grandma's birthday. I made 12 cupcakes with the filling and then a heart-shaped plain angel food cake with the rest of the batter. I did not add the chopped strawberries to the frosting as I felt it was better balanced with only strawberry filling and a fresh strawberry on top. I did not have any issues with adequate thickening of the frosting, so maybe not adding the chopped strawberries helped? My Grandma LOVED the cupcakes and we all thought they were tasty, and pleasantly light after a big birthday lunch. They kept very well overnight in the fridge between baking and traveling to Grandma's.
 
Nikita
Nikita June 14, 2015
I just made these and they were a hit among my family; what a great recipe! The only problem I had with this this was that the "frosting" was too watery; to fix this, I added half a cup of cornstarch, a quarter of a cup of sugar and another teaspoon of vanilla extract. Frosting was then perfect, bouncy consistency.
I suggest serving these cold!
 
RebeccaW2013
RebeccaW2013 June 27, 2013
Ok, just re-read the recipe above and it has been fixed vs. the print out we had that we used (given to us by someone who printed it who know's when). Step number 8 was the one in question. Our printout never said about using 1 and 1/4 cups in total, so we used 3/4 cup, as that was all it said in the ingredients. Sorry if I confused anyone:)
 
RebeccaW2013
RebeccaW2013 June 27, 2013
We just made these following this recipe and they turned out way too eggy...after some investigation, by going straight to the I can cook that website, we found out that THIS recipe is incorrect in the amount of sugar in the cupcake part...should be 1 and 1/4 cup and not 3/4 cup. The recipe on this site doesn't break it down by cupcake vs whipped cream and thus it appears that only 3/4 cup sugar is needed for the cupcake part. I would go straight to the I Can Cook That recipe site and use that recipe instead
 
bcrazy
bcrazy June 19, 2013
Thank you so much! Very excited to make this treat!
 
I C.
I C. June 19, 2013
The 3/4 quart container of strawberries is combined with 2 tablespoons sugar and refrigerated. After the cupcakes are baked and cooled, you add this mixture to the center of the cupcakes by cutting out the center of the cupcakes with a small pairing knife. I have step-by-step photos on my blog if you need a visual: http://www.icancookthat.org/2013/02/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes.html
 
bcrazy
bcrazy June 19, 2013
when do you add the 3/4 quarts container of strawberries? do you mix in by hand or with mixer?
 
AnnieHynes
AnnieHynes June 17, 2013
i made these for father's day and while they were good the frosting was way too liquidy and the batter stuck to the cupcake tin.
 
I C.
I C. June 10, 2013
Michelle, yes! Sorry. Will update.
 
Michelle D.
Michelle D. June 10, 2013
I look forward to strawberry shortcake all year, seriously. I love this idea. Do you mean 3/4 of a quart container of strawberries?