Fresh Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

White chocolate strawberry cupcakes are a fluffy and moist vanilla cupcake, filled with fresh sweet macerated strawberries, and topped with an ultra creamy and easy to make white chocolate mousse frosting. The three ingredient white chocolate mousse is studded with vanilla bean seeds, and is so decadent and airy. The combination of the vanilla cake, juicy strawberries, and silky white chocolate mousse is so perfect for warmer weather.

If you also love cupcakes packed with berries, you're going to love my blueberry cupcakes.

🍓 Why you'll LOVE this recipe

• Fresh strawberries: Macerated fresh strawberries create a gorgeous sweet and juicy easy strawberry filling that is so perfect for summer!
• Fluffy vanilla cupcakes: The cupcakes are so fluffy with a tender, moist crumb thanks to the combination of both oil and butter in the batter.
• Light, sweet, and refreshing: These really are the perfect summer cupcakes. They're great to make to celebrate strawberry season!
• White chocolate mousse frosting: A whipped vanilla bean white chocolate ganache creates an airy mousse-like frosting. It's only three ingredients and is so delicious!

My fresh strawberry vanilla cake is basically the cake version of these cupcakes.

📝 Key ingredients

Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.

White chocolate: Use good quality white chocolate bars for the best flavor and creamy texture.

Heavy whipping cream: I used 35% whipping cream to ensure that the frosting whipped to stiff peaks.

Buttermilk: Storebought buttermilk or kefir will give these cupcakes the best flavor and texture. However, if you don't have those on hand you can make it by combining ½ cup of room temperature milk with 1 teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature to thicken up.

Olive oil: You can use a more robust extra virgin olive oil for more grassy flavor, or opt for a light extra virgin olive oil for a milder flavor. Vegetable oil will also work great!

Butter: Unsalted butter gives these cupcakes a buttery flavor and texture. You can use salted butter if you omit the salt in the cupcake batter.

Fresh strawberries: Fresh strawberries are macerated with sugar and lemon juice to create sweet, juicy, and firm pieces of strawberries floating in a bright red strawberry syrup. Even sour or flavorless strawberries will taste delicious if you macerate them!

All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.

👩‍🍳 How to make white chocolate fresh strawberry cupcakes

Macerated strawberries step by step

Step 1: Take the tops off the strawberries and cut them into small chunks. Place them into a bowl or container with a lid.

Step 2: Add the sugar, salt, and lemon juice into the strawberries. Mix it all together, cover, and refrigerate the strawberries while you bake the cupcakes and make the white chocolate frosting.

Vanilla cupcakes step by step

Prep: Pop liners into a muffin or cupcake tin. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).

Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar, butter, and oil. Beat together until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the eggs one by one, beating well between each addition.

Step 3: Then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Step 4: Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients and mix gently just until it forms a thick batter.

Step 5: Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.

Step 6: Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting them. I like to remove the cupcakes while they're still warm so that they're less likely to stick to the sides of the pan.

White chocolate mousse step by step

Step 1: Combine cream, pieces of white chocolate, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on low heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate completely melts. You don't need to bring it to a simmer - just heat gently and stir until it's all melted. As soon as it's all melted, pour into a bowl to let it chill completely in the fridge.

Step 2: Once you're ready to frost the cupcakes, take the cream out of the fridge and whip to stiff peaks with a whisk or with an electric mixer. It will whip up very quickly so keep a close eye on it.

Assembly step by step

Step 1: Cut the centers out of the cupcakes, making sure to only cut halfway through the cupcake (not all the way to the bottom) with a small sharp knife. Pull out the cake in the centers - you can snack on these bits.

Step 2: Fill the middles with macerated strawberry pieces, and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the syrup over the cupcakes.

Step 3: Pipe or spread the white chocolate mousse on top of the strawberry white chocolate cupcakes. Create an indent in the middle to cradle some more macerated strawberries on top.

Step 4: Right before serving, top the cupcakes with the remaining macerated strawberries, being careful not to add too much syrup because it can overflow through the frosting. Poke some edible flowers like chamomile on top to decorate the fresh strawberry cupcakes.

🥄 Make ahead and storage

The filled and frosted strawberry and white chocolate cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge because of all the fresh strawberries and the white chocolate mousse. Store them in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days - they're best eaten as soon as possible.

Here's how far ahead of time you can make the cupcake components:

Vanilla cupcakes: You can bake the vanilla cupcakes up to 3 days ahead of filling and frosting them. Store them refrigerated in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months ahead of time.

Macerated strawberries: These can be made up to 12 hours before filling the fresh strawberry cupcakes.

White chocolate mousse frosting: You can melt the white chocolate with the cream and vanilla, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before whipping it up and frosting the cupcakes.

📖 Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe

Fresh Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Mary

White chocolate strawberry cupcakes are a fluffy and moist vanilla cupcake, filled with fresh sweet macerated strawberries, and topped with an ultra creamy and easy to make white chocolate mousse frosting. The three ingredient white chocolate mousse is studded with vanilla bean seeds, and is so decadent and airy. The combination of the vanilla cake, juicy strawberries, and silky white chocolate mousse is so perfect for warmer weather. If you also love cupcakes packed with berries, you're going to love my blueberry cupcakes.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Shop Ingredients

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American, English, French

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 261 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  12 hole regular sized muffin/cupcake tin
• ▢
  stand mixer or handheld electric mixer

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Macerated Strawberries

• ▢ 4 cups fresh strawberries about 1 lb or 454g
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Vanilla Cupcakes

• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup softened butter
• ▢ ¼ cup cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cup all purpose flour (180g)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

White Chocolate Mousse

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream 35%, cold
• ▢ 225 g white chocolate
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

Instructions

 

Macerated strawberries

• Take the tops off the strawberries and cut them into small chunks. Place them into a bowl or container with a lid.
  4 cups fresh strawberries
• Add the sugar, salt, and lemon juice into the strawberries. Mix it all together, cover, and refrigerate the strawberries while you bake the cupcakes and make the white chocolate frosting.
  ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cupcakes

• Pop liners into a muffin or cupcake tin. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar, butter, and oil. Beat together until light and fluffy.
  ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup softened butter, ¼ cup cup olive oil
• Add the eggs one by one, beating well between each addition.
  2 large eggs
• Then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt into the wet ingredients and mix well.
  ½ cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients and mix gently just until it forms a thick batter.
  1 ½ cup all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting them. I like to remove the cupcakes while they're still warm so that they're less likely to stick to the sides of the pan.

White chocolate mousse

• Combine cream, pieces of white chocolate, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on low heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate completely melts. You don't need to bring it to a simmer - just heat gently and stir until it's all melted. As soon as it's all melted, pour into a bowl to let it chill completely in the fridge.
  1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, 225 g white chocolate, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• Once you're ready to frost the cupcakes, take the cream out of the fridge and whip to stiff peaks with a whisk or with an electric mixer. It will whip up very quickly so keep a close eye on it.

Assembly

• Cut the centers out of the cupcakes, making sure to only cut halfway through the cupcake (not all the way to the bottom) with a small sharp knife. Pull out the cake in the centers - you can snack on these bits.
• Fill the middles with macerated strawberry pieces, and drizzle 1 teaspoons of the syrup over the cupcakes.
• Pipe or spread the white chocolate mousse on top of the cupcakes. Create an indent in the middle to cradle some more macerated strawberries on top.
• Right before serving, top the cupcakes with the remaining macerated strawberries, being careful not to add too much syrup because it can overflow through the frosting. Poke some edible flowers like chamomile on top to decorate.

Notes

Make ahead and storage:

The filled and frosted cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge because of all the fresh strawberries and the white chocolate mousse. Store them in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days - they're best eaten as soon as possible.

Here's how far ahead of time you can make the cupcake components:

• Vanilla cupcakes: You can bake the vanilla cupcakes up to 3 days ahead of filling and frosting them. Store them refrigerated in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months ahead of time.
• Macerated strawberries: These can be made up to 12 hours before filling the cupcakes.
• White chocolate mousse frosting: You can melt the white chocolate with the cream and vanilla, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before whipping it up and frosting the cupcakes.

 

Tips for success:

1. Weigh the flour properly: Use a scale for the best accuracy. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour with a spoon and spoon it into the measuring cup. Carefully scrape the excess flour off the cup without packing it in.
2. Don't overmix the cupcake batter: Mix it just until smooth or even leave it a little lumpy. This will create the fluffiest cupcakes.
3. Top the cupcakes with macerated strawberries right before serving: You can fill and frost the cupcakes in advance, but I don't recommend adding the macerated strawberries on top until you're ready to serve them. After about an hour or two, the strawberries lose their shine, dry up, and don't look as fresh and appealing.
4. Don't overwhip the white chocolate ganache: If you overwhip the ganache or white chocolate mousse, it will become grainy. It whips up much faster than a regular whipped cream so you need to keep a close eye on it.

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 3382mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 426IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 1780mgIron: 4mg

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