Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This super creamy and fluffy strawberry buttercream frosting recipe uses fresh strawberry puree rather than processed strawberry syrup… A must try!

Have you ever had one of those days in the kitchen where literally nothing turns out the way you want it to? Yeah, that was my Monday…

It started with a cake recipe I’ve been wanting to try. I found it on Pinterest (of course!), and it uses pie filling to replace the oil and water in a boxed cake mix. I thought it would easily convert to cupcakes, but I was less than impressed. They were totally meh — more like muffins than cupcakes and very artificial tasting. Bummer!

So I scrapped that idea in favor of straight-out-of-the-box pink velvet cupcakes, thinking I would dress them up by converting my favorite whipped buttercream frosting recipe into a delicious fresh strawberry buttercream frosting — which turned out a grainy, gloppy mess. Whomp, whomp whomp…

I really had my heart set on using fresh strawberry puree instead of a processed strawberry syrup, so I called it quits for the day and did a little research instead.

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Pink Velvet Cupcakes

How pretty are these pink velvet cupcakes?! As I mentioned, I settled on a boxed cake mix so I could focus on perfecting the strawberry buttercream frosting. My girls went crazy for the gorgeous pink color, and the delicious buttery vanilla flavor pairs perfectly with the frosting — once I got all of the kinks worked out, at least!

You’ll notice when you mix up the batter that it’s much thicker than your average cake mix. I definitely recommend using a large cookie scoop to fill the cups. The package says that it should make 24 cupcakes, but I only managed to get 18 out of it. Of course, I may fill the cups slightly higher than average, but I still think you’d be hard pressed to eke out two dozen. Just something to keep in mind if you need a specific number for an event!

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Back to the strawberry buttercream… After a little research and thinking about what might have gone wrong in my initial strawberry buttercream attempt, I realized two things. One, I didn’t factor in how long it would take my butter to soften up enough with the cold temps we’re experiencing. It was still too firm in the center. And two, I didn’t add the strawberry puree at the proper time in the mixing process.

My second attempt at a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting turned out pretty darn close to perfect! The only adjustment I might make in the future is to use a clear vanilla extract, as I think the regular vanilla extract gives the frosting a very slight orangish undertone. But then again, I prefer to use pure vanilla extract whenever possible. I’ve never found a clear vanilla extract that’s not imitation, so I’m okay with the tradeoff in color. What do you think?

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Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe

For more tips how to make an amazing buttercream frosting, check out my BEST buttercream frosting recipe. By the way, I don’t bestow the “BEST” title lightly… It’s been pinned over 100,000 times and has rave reviews!

I’d love to see how your fresh strawberry buttercream frosting turns out… Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!