Strawberry Cupcakes (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1⅙ hours cooling
Yield
Makes 12 cupcakes
Sugar
13 grams (down from 27)
Ingredients
Cupcakes
⅓ cup plus ¼ cup Sucanat (3 ounces/85 grams)1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (4½ ounces/128 grams)2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 10 ounces (283 grams/2 cups) frozen whole strawberries 6 tablespoons whole milk 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softenedHoney Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, softened8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons honeyBefore You Begin
You will only use half of the frosting for this recipe. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting for this recipe; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1; however, the cupcakes will have a speckled appearance. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Working in 2 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Microwave strawberries in covered bowl until softened and very juicy, about 4 minutes.
- Transfer strawberries to fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan and press firmly with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; set solids aside for frosting. Boil strained strawberry juice over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and measures ¼ cup, about 8 minutes. Transfer juice to medium bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in milk until combined, followed by eggs and vanilla.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat ground Sucanat and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add juice mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed (mixture will look soupy). Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Portion batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
- Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. (Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir reserved strawberry solids into frosting until combined. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes and serve.
for the cupcakes
for the honey cream cheese frosting
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1⅙ hours coolingYield
Makes 12 cupcakesSugar
13 grams (down from 27)Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We were shocked to find that many recipes for strawberry cupcakes rely on a packet of strawberry-flavored Jell-O. For our low-sugar, naturally sweetened version, we resolved to pack in the berry flavor using real strawberries. We put together a quick cake base by creaming butter with ground Sucanat, adding a couple eggs, and stirring in cake flour (which we knew would give our cupcakes the tenderness we were after). We started by stirring chopped frozen strawberries (which were of reliable quality year-round) into the cake batter, but were unsurprised when the chunks disrupted the fine crumb of the cake and left behind mushy pockets. For our next round of testing, we pressed the liquid out of the strawberries and added the juice to the batter. This time our cake had good flavor but was mushy. To rid the batter of excess moisture without compromising on flavor, we reduced the liquid on the stovetop to a mere ¼ cup, which concentrated the strawberry flavor beautifully. A couple teaspoons of baking powder ensured that the concentrated liquid wouldn’t weigh down our cakes. Instead of discarding the strawberry solids left behind from straining the berries, we added them to our cream cheese frosting, giving our cupcakes even more strawberry flavor.
Before You Begin
You will only use half of the frosting for this recipe. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting for this recipe; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1; however, the cupcakes will have a speckled appearance. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Working in 2 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Microwave strawberries in covered bowl until softened and very juicy, about 4 minutes.
- Transfer strawberries to fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan and press firmly with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; set solids aside for frosting. Boil strained strawberry juice over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and measures ¼ cup, about 8 minutes. Transfer juice to medium bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in milk until combined, followed by eggs and vanilla.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat ground Sucanat and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add juice mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed (mixture will look soupy). Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Portion batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
- Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. (Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir reserved strawberry solids into frosting until combined. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes and serve.
for the cupcakes
for the honey cream cheese frosting
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