This recipe came out of a marathon baking day. Do you ever have those? Where you’re just inspired to get in the kitchen and mix up a bunch of batters to see what comes out of them?
This cupcake recipe was one that just kind of came together at the end, after seeing what I did (and didn’t) have on hand. I realized I had an extra pint of strawberries hiding in the back of the fridge that I did not want to go bad, so I knew they had to be incorporated.
A few notes:
- Using a boxed cake mix helped keep the preparation simple, since the strawberry filling took a little bit longer to prepare.
- The filling is a combination of a few different recipes I found online and turned out to be a great mixture. It’s not as thick as some other fillings, so perhaps adding some cornstarch would make the filling more stable (if that’s what you’re looking for). Otherwise, it worked perfect!
So may I present to you…
Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
The cupcakes turned out incredibly moist, which I find the applesauce tends to do. The tart, lemony flavor of the cupcake, combined with the subtly sweet strawberry flavor, was the perfect combination for the smooth, creamy sweet cream cheese frosting.
Applesauce makes these cupcakes so moist. Fill with ripe strawberries and top with cream cheese frosting! Click To TweetSpeaking of, I used my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe, which comes from one of my favorite cookbooks:
This is sure to be a recipe you do not want to miss out on!
Strawberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 box Lemon cake mix I used Betty Crocker
- 1-1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 3 eggs or any combination of eggs + egg whites or egg substitute - I used 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg sub.
- Strawberry Filling see recipe below
- Cream Cheese Frosting see recipe below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix & bake according to directions on box.
- Once cupcakes are cooled completely, use a knife to hollow out a 1-inch hole in each cupcake, preserving only the tops.
- Fill cupcakes with strawberry filling and replace preserved tops back on filled cupcakes.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting. (*For a fancier look, snip the tip off of a corner of a sandwich bag, fill with frosting, and squeeze as you would a regular pastry bag. Quick & pretty!)
- If desired, top with fresh sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of nutmeg. ENJOY!
The strawberry filling I used here is super simple — throw the ripe strawberries and other ingredients in the food processor and you’re good to go!
Strawberry Filling
-1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/2
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Puree half of the strawberries in a food processor with the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla until it is a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries and pulse until chopped, but not liquefied.
And who doesn’t love a cream cheese frosting?
Cream Cheese Frosting
-1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2-3 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with electric mixer on low until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
When I was making my cupcakes, I decided I didn’t want to wait a whole baking cycle to make the 2nd half of the cupcakes. So instead, I took the other half of the batter, filled up a 9 inch round baking dish, and made a mini layer cake!
I just sliced the one cake (very carefully!) into two layers, spread the strawberry filling, and frosted it all with the remaining cream cheese frosting. It worked out perfectly!
Have I gotten any of you in the mood to do some baking yet?!?
Amanda- The Nutritionist Reviews says
Yum! That sandwich looks awesome! I was looking for something to make with veggies for dinner tonight and might make something like that : )
Courtney @ Three Months says
Oooh, those cupcakes (and the cake!) look delicious!
Jennifer says
Wow those look amazing! I love baking. Especially cakes. I’m constantly trying to find a reason to bake. For example, if I find out someone’s birthday is coming up, I’m like can I make a cake for you? haha
Gabby says
I lied…you can bring those cupcakes on Saturday!! haha…they look delish!!! Good job Court
Shanna, like Banana says
Okay, I’m onboard…lemon and strawberry…kill me now! Loves it!
So pretty too!
Maura says
Holy moley! Those made my mouth water! Can you send one to Boston stat, please?? haha
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
Oh that looks heavenly. I love strawberries…..
Holly at Greek Yogurt and Apple Slices says
Oh my goodness, that looks awesome. I’m now hungry again after seeing both of these.
You need to open your bakery ASAP!! :D (& one in FL too please!)
christina says
you and your cupcakes are making me drool!!!!!!!!
haha woah i worded that kinda funny.. i guess you’re making me drool too
Courtney says
LOL!! :-P
Kelly says
I don’t think you have made me want to bake but you have made me want to eat!!! haha!
Katie H. says
Those cupcakes look to die for. I am definitely inspired to bake now; I’ll be bookmarking the recipe :D
Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
:o those cupcakes and that cake look incredible!! I love when cupcakes have a filling, YUM! So summery, perfect!
Jenn
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl says
Ohhhhh, these look SO good! I also have that cookbook and I love it!
Nichole says
Go Betty or go home! Just when I thought I’d seen it all. Your cupcakes would make Strawberry Shortcake blush. Yum:)
Courtney (Pancakes & Postcards) says
Dude, these are BEAUTIFUL!!! Did you do the bag technique for the frosting? I love to bake but am the ugliest froster EVER. This must stop.
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life says
Thank You! :)
Yup, I sure did! It’s probably the quickest, easiest way to do it if you don’t have a pastry bag.
caroline says
good
caroline says
good:)
Rita says
wow just saw the receipe for the lemon strawberry filled it made my mouth water so going to try that one, don’t really care for the cream cheese frosting but with the strawberries and nutmeg may not be bad, thanks for the receipe. keep up the good work..
Courtney says
Thanks, Rita!
Kim says
I have made these TWICE since this recipe posted! They’re amazing! Thank you!
Courtney says
YAY! I’m so glad you like them! :-D
Brenda says
I did this sandwich for dinner tonight. It was amazing! I sauteed the onions. Working on the cupcakes as we speak. I love your recipes. I have been looking for new healthy recipes and stumbled upon you blog. Keep them coming!
Courtney says
Thanks Brenda! Let me know how the cupcakes come out! :-D
Deanna says
so i made these the other day, they’re amazing! so delicious! i gave some out to my co-workers and they ate them all up, i decided im going to try one of your recipes each week!
Courtney says
YAY! I think that sounds like a great idea ;)
Nisha says
You definitely caught my attention with the cupcakes. I didn’t know, what I was going to do with the rest of the batter…. A cake there is. Instead of cream cheese frosting, I used buttercream. It worked out well. They were a delicious Birthday Surprise =)
diet says
I do not know if it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with your site. It appears as though some of the written text within your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This could be a issue with my browser because I’ve had this happen before.
Thank you