Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe for Spring

White chocolate strawberry cupcakes are light, moist vanilla cupcakes filled with fresh macerated strawberries and finished with a silky white chocolate mousse frosting. The three-ingredient mousse is studded with vanilla bean seeds for extra aroma and whips into an airy, decadent topping. The contrast of tender vanilla cake, juicy strawberries, and smooth white chocolate frosting makes these cupcakes an ideal treat for warm weather and strawberry season.

If you enjoy berry-filled cupcakes, try the blueberry cupcakes mentioned in the original recipe.

🍓 Why you’ll LOVE this recipe

• Fresh strawberries: Macerated strawberries create a sweet, juicy filling and a bright syrup that enhances the cupcakes.
• Fluffy vanilla cupcakes: A combination of butter and oil yields tender, moist cupcakes with a light crumb.
• Light and refreshing: These cupcakes are balanced, not too heavy, and perfect for spring and summer gatherings.
• Easy white chocolate mousse: A whipped white chocolate ganache with vanilla bean turns into an airy mousse using just a few ingredients.

📝 Key ingredients

Read through for tips to ensure success!
Full steps and ingredient amounts appear in the recipe card below.

White chocolate: Use good-quality white chocolate bars for best flavor and a smooth mousse.

Heavy whipping cream: Full-fat (about 35%) cream whips to stable peaks for the mousse.

Buttermilk: Store-bought buttermilk or kefir gives good texture and flavor; you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 teaspoon vinegar to ½ cup milk and letting it rest 10 minutes.

Olive oil + butter: A mix of oil and butter keeps the cupcakes tender while adding buttery flavor. Neutral vegetable oil works too if preferred.

Fresh strawberries: Macerating strawberries with sugar and lemon intensifies their flavor and produces a lovely syrup to fill the cupcakes.

All-purpose flour: Weigh the flour for reliable results. If measuring by cup, gently spoon it into the cup and level without packing.

👩‍🍳 How to make white chocolate fresh strawberry cupcakes

Macerated strawberries — step by step

Step 1: Hull and chop fresh strawberries into small pieces and place them in a bowl.

Step 2: Add sugar, salt, and lemon juice, mix, cover, and refrigerate while you bake and prepare the mousse. The fruit will release syrup as it macerates.

Vanilla cupcakes — step by step

Prep: Line a 12-cup muffin tin and preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).

Step 1: Beat sugar, softened butter, and oil until pale and fluffy.

Step 2: Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 3: Mix in buttermilk, vanilla, and salt until combined.

Step 4: Sift in flour and baking powder and fold gently just until a thick batter forms. Do not overmix.

Step 5: Spoon batter evenly into liners and bake 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.

Step 6: Cool cupcakes completely before filling and frosting. Removing them from the pan while still slightly warm helps prevent sticking.

White chocolate mousse — step by step

Step 1: Gently heat the cream, chopped white chocolate, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan until the chocolate melts. Do not boil; remove from heat and chill until cold in the fridge.

Step 2: Whip the chilled mixture to stiff peaks just before frosting. It whips quickly, so watch closely to avoid overwhipping and graininess.

Assembly — step by step

Step 1: Trim a shallow well in the center of each cupcake (only about halfway through) and reserve the removed cake pieces for snacking.

Step 2: Fill the wells with macerated strawberry pieces and drizzle a small amount of the strawberry syrup over each filling.

Step 3: Pipe or spread the white chocolate mousse on each cupcake, creating a small well on top to hold extra strawberries.

Step 4: Just before serving, top with remaining macerated strawberries (avoid excess syrup) and garnish with edible flowers if desired.

🥄 Make ahead and storage

Because of the fresh fruit and mousse, filled and frosted cupcakes must be refrigerated. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days for best quality.

How far ahead you can prepare components:

Vanilla cupcakes: Bake up to 3 days before filling and frosting. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Macerated strawberries: Prepare up to 12 hours in advance.

White chocolate mousse: Prepare the melted white chocolate mixture and chill up to 2 days before whipping and using.

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📖 Recipe

Fresh Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Light vanilla cupcakes filled with macerated strawberries and topped with a whipped white chocolate mousse. Perfect for warm weather and fresh strawberry season.

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American, English, French

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 261 kcal

Equipment

• 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin
• Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer

Ingredients

Macerated Strawberries

• 4 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 lb / 454 g)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Vanilla Cupcakes

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180 g)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

White Chocolate Mousse

• 1¼ cup heavy whipping cream (35%), cold
• 225 g white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Macerated strawberries

1. Hull and chop the strawberries, place in a bowl.
2. Add sugar, salt, and lemon juice, mix, cover, and refrigerate while preparing the cupcakes and mousse.

Cupcakes

1. Line a muffin tin and preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
2. Beat sugar, softened butter, and oil until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Mix in buttermilk, vanilla, and salt.
5. Sift in flour and baking powder and fold gently until just combined.
6. Spoon batter into liners and bake 16–18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
7. Cool completely before filling and frosting.

White chocolate mousse

1. Warm cream, chopped white chocolate, vanilla, and salt over low heat until chocolate melts. Do not boil. Chill the mixture until cold.
2. Whip the chilled mixture to stiff peaks just before frosting—watch carefully to avoid overwhipping.

Assembly

1. Cut a shallow well in the center of each cupcake and remove the cake bit.
2. Fill each well with macerated strawberry pieces and a small drizzle of syrup.
3. Pipe or spread the white chocolate mousse on top, leaving a small well for extra strawberries.
4. Top with remaining macerated strawberries just before serving and garnish as desired.

Notes

Make ahead and storage:

The filled and frosted cupcakes require refrigeration and keep up to 3 days in an airtight container.

• Vanilla cupcakes: Bake up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.
• Macerated strawberries: Make up to 12 hours ahead.
• White chocolate mousse: Prepare the melted mixture and chill up to 2 days before whipping.

Tips for success:

1. Weigh flour for accuracy or spoon and level when using cups.
2. Avoid overmixing the batter to keep cupcakes tender.
3. Add macerated strawberries to the tops just before serving to maintain their shine.
4. Stop whipping the mousse at stiff peaks to prevent graininess.

Nutrition

Calories: 261 kcal
Carbohydrates: 43 g
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 10 g