Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Fluffy, moist and buttery pink vanilla cupcake with a strawberry reduction buttercream.

I made these cupcakes to bring to a baby shower for my good friend Matt and his wife Ami. I’ve known Matt since high school, so that’s going back 18 years – yikes! My oh my, how things have changed. We were just kids back then, having fun and no big worries, trying to fit in and be cool. Now, we’re all grown up with careers, spouses, kids, and responsibilities. Looking back, we’ve all come a long way and have accomplished a lot since our high school days.

Matt and Ami are having a baby girl, a little princess. When I asked Ami what kind of cupcake she wanted, she said vanilla, and something pink for a girl. So that’s why I thought pink velvet (a.k.a pink vanilla) and a strawberry buttercream to go with the pink theme.

I created this recipe using butter, whole milk, and sour cream for flavor and moisture. I included both baking soda and baking powder to make the batter rise nicely with a fine, soft, spongy texture. I used just enough flour to hold everything together, yet still maintain a light batter. I added lots of vanilla for a heavenly aroma and taste. Oh, and a touch of pink coloring for the occasion.

The cupcakes baked up fluffy and rose perfectly with a soft pink hue. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, buttery, and they stay super moist for up to 4 days.

For the buttercream, I puréed some fresh strawberries and reduced it to thicken and concentrate the flavor. The strawberry sauce became a dark dusty rose colour, but once whipped with the butter and icing sugar, it brightened to a light baby pink.

The cupcakes disappeared pretty quickly at the shower. I actually couldn’t put them out fast enough. I was hoping there would be a few left over for Matt and Ami to enjoy the next day, but it was a good sign that all of the guests really liked them.

Matt and Ami, congrats! I am so happy for you and can’t wait to meet your little princess. xoxo

Recipe by Little Sweet Baker

Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Lily Ernst
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 2 dozen
• Category: dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Fluffy, moist and buttery pink vanilla cupcake with a strawberry reduction buttercream.

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Ingredients

• 2 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 drop pink gel food colouring
• 1 cup fresh strawberry purée (I used a handheld blender and puréed 1 generous cup of fresh strawberries until perfectly smooth)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 5 cups icing sugar

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Instructions

1. Using a small sauce pan, simmer on low to reduce the strawberry purée to half the volume, stirring often. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Stir until combined.
5. Slowly pour wet mixture into the dry mixture. Carefully mix until smooth, try not to overmix.
6. Divide batter between the 24 liners. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the buttercream:

1. Whip butter until pale and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of the strawberry reduction sauce, mix for 1 minute, then scrape the sides and bottom of bowl, mix again for another minute. The butter and strawberry sauce might not completely mix together, but not to worry, when you add the icing sugar, it will come together.
2. Add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time and mix well in between. After the last cup of icing sugar has been incorporated, mix on high for 1 minute or so to make sure the frosting is aerated and smooth.
3. Frost as desired. I used a close star tip (Wilton 2D), and starting from the center of the cupcake,

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Notes

Cupcakes will stay fresh refrigerated for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cupcake
• Calories: 353
• Sugar: 38.3 g
• Sodium: 103.2 mg
• Fat: 17.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 48.7 g
• Protein: 2.8 g
• Cholesterol: 59.5 mg