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Strawberry cupcakes
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Freeze-Dried Strawberries

Soft, bakery-style strawberry cupcakes made with freeze-dried strawberries for bold flavor and natural color. This easy shortcut recipe starts with a white cake mix and finishes with strawberry cream cheese frosting for a nostalgic, crowd-pleasing treat.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Servings 24 servings
Author Susan - The Tinkering Spinster

Equipment

  • Muffin Tin
  • Cupcake Liners
  • Mixer
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Piping Bag or ZipTop Bag

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 box White Cake Mix
  • 1 box Strawberry Jello
  • 2 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Strawberry Emulsion

Frosting

  • 1 tub Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1/2 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries

Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
  • Add 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries to a blender or food processor. Blend until very fine and measure out ¼ cup strawberry powder. Set aside.
  • Chop or pulse the remaining 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries until you have ½ cup small pieces.
  • Place the 1/2 cup strawberry pieces into a zip-top bag along with ⅛ cup of the dry white cake mix. Seal and shake to coat.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine: White cake mix, Dry strawberry Jell-O, Freeze Dried Strawberry powder, Milk, Sour Cream, Eggs, Strawberry Emulsion
  • Mix just until combined, about 30–40 seconds. Do not overmix.
  • Gently fold in the coated strawberry pieces by hand until evenly distributed.
  • Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
  • Bake for 16–19 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

  • Add ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend until very fine. Measure out ⅛ cup strawberry powder, then sift to remove any larger pieces.
  • Manually stir the strawberry powder into the frosting until fully combined.
  • If the frosting feels too thick, microwave it for 15 seconds to soften, then stir again.
  • Transfer frosting to a piping bag (or zip-top bag with the corner snipped) and frost the cooled cupcakes.