I have used a few different techniques to make strawberry cake and I have found that turning the strawberries into a purée before baking them into the cake yielded the best result. This did not hold true when it came to the frosting. I find that fresh strawberries tend to make the frosting runny, so I used freeze dried and they worked out wonderfully. These cupcakes are bright and refreshing and would be beautiful at a baby shower or birthday party.
YIELDS
12 cupcakes
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 3/4 cup strawberries, pureed (yields about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries, blended (yields about 1/4 cup powder)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- pinch of salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the strawberry purée, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and sea salt and stir until combined.
4. Pour mix into cupcake pan and bake for 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat for a couple minutes.
6. Add confectioners sugar, freeze dried strawberries (blended into powder), vanilla, and almond milk.
7. Beat until fluffy and smooth.
8. Remove cupcakes from oven and let cook complete before frosting.
9. Frost and top with poppy seeds.
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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote
