These white chocolate strawberry cupcakes are made with fresh strawberries, filled with white chocolate ganache and topped with strawberry buttercream.
Trim and slice a half pound of fresh strawberries, then add to a food processor and blend until reduced to small pieces and pulp. Add everything to a small saucepan set over medium-low to low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to roughly a ¼ cup. This will take around 20 minutes, but don’t try to speed things up by cooking at a higher temperature or you can burn the strawberries.
Once reduced, transfer the strawberry puree to a heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup and allow to cool before using. You can speed this up by tossing, uncovered, into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. It doesn’t need to be cold, just not hot.
While the strawberry reduction cools, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a 12-count muffin tin with cupcake liners and set it aside.
In a mixing bowl, add 1 ½ cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk together and set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add ¼ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Now add ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream, and the cooled strawberry reduction. Mix on medium low speed until fully combined. Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, until no visible streaks remain.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2-3 batches. Mix on low speed, slowly increasing the speed as the flour is incorporated into the batter. Continue adding the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Pour or scoop the batter into the cupcake liners until they’re roughly ⅔rds full, trying to keep all the liners equally filled. Place onto the center rack of the oven and bake for 17-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow them to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack until cooled completely.
White Chocolate Ganache:
While the cupcakes are cooking, start making the white chocolate ganache.
Coarsely chop 1 ½ white chocolate bars, or 6-ounces, and set into a heatproof bowl.
Pour a little more than ⅓ cup of heavy cream, or 3-ounces, into a small saucepan over medium low heat. Bring it to a simmer, do not boil, and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit, undisturbed, for 3-5 minutes.
Once rested, whisk together until emulsified. It should be thickened but pourable and creamy. Let it cool for a few minutes at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until set and thickened. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour. When it’s set, it should be tacky and scoopable, but no longer pourable.
Strawberry Buttercream:
While the ganache sets and the cupcakes cool, you can make the strawberry buttercream.
Start by adding 25-28 grams of freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor. Pulse or blend at high speed until reduced to a find powder. If it has an open feeding tube, I recommend covering it with your hand or a towel, so you don’t have strawberry dust everywhere.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 1 cup of unsalted butter and some of the powdered sugar (about a cup). Mix slowly, then increase to medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Now add the rest of the powdered sugar and strawberry powder in batches, mixing slowly until incorporated and slowly increase the speed. You can switch to the whisk attachment at this point or stick with the paddle. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper with a pinch of salt and mix on medium speed until fully combined.
Finally, add the ¼ cup of heavy cream and mix on low speed until combined, then turn the speed up to high for a minute or two. Finish mixing at high speed until fluffy and a soft texture for piping.
Filling & Decorating:
Once cooled completely, you can fill and decorate the cupcakes.
Remove some of the center of the cupcakes with a cupcake corer or use a paring knife. If using a paring knife, cut into the cupcake about a ¼” from the edge at a 45° angle. Cut around the outer edge until you make a circle, then remove the cone shaped piece and reserve some of the top.
Spoon or scoop about a tablespoon or so of the white chocolate ganache into the cupcake and replace the removed top.
Now add the buttercream into a piping bag and decorate the tops. You have plenty of options here. For more information, read below on “Tips for Frosting Cupcakes.” For reference, I made rosettes here with a 2D and 6B piping tip. If you have it, I’d recommend a 1M tip over the 2D though, and an 8B also works.
For the chocolate dipped strawberries, melt the reserved 2-ounces of white chocolate. You can do this over a double-broiler or simply use a microwave. Coarsely chop the white chocolate and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Heat again for 15-20 seconds until the chocolate is soft. Stir or whisk until nice and smooth.
Let it cool for a minute or two and then dip and spin the strawberries through the chocolate. Set them on a plate or a ¼ sheet pan and then place into the refrigerator until set, about an hour. This can be done while making the ganache, ahead of time, or within an hour of when you plan on serving the cupcakes.
1) Food Processor – I highly recommend using a food processor here, but if you don’t have one, this is what I’d suggest. For the fresh strawberries slice them and then run your knife through them multiple times (like finely chopping herbs) until reduced to finely diced pieces and pulp. For freeze-dried strawberries you can try a blender or do it in batches in a spice or coffee grinder.2) Strawberries – You can use fresh strawberries instead, but I highly recommend freeze-dried strawberries in buttercream frostings. They add a ton of concentrated flavor and color without any additional liquid. Strawberries can vary a lot in how much liquid they release when blended, and even strained, they can add too much liquid and make the buttercream break or weep.One cup of powder from freeze-dried strawberries can be made from one standard container, usually sold in 25-28 grams. If the package is larger, weigh out 25g worth. You can usually find these in most grocery stores where they sell other dried fruits like raisins, or online from the link above.3) Chocolate – For the best results, look for a decent quality white chocolate baking bar. You’ll need about 6-ounces for the ganache, so get two 4-ounce baking bars. Reserve the remaining 2-ounces for dipping strawberries, which should be just enough for 12 medium strawberries.4) Food Coloring – If you want to add a bit to the color of the cupcakes, you can add a few dashes of gel food coloring after you mix the flour in. I would suggest a pink or rose color over a red though.