Julie Clark
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Cake Mix
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Strawberry Jello makes these simple strawberry cupcakes with cake mix a little extra special. The homemade strawberry frosting on top uses strawberry jam and a hint of almond for a delicious flavor pairing.
With spring and summer bounding our way, it’s time to pull out all of the simple fruity desserts like a key lime sheet cake or this strawberry cupcakes recipe.
This Strawberry Cupcakes with Cake Mix recipe takes a shortcut by using a cake mix. They are based off our popular Easy Strawberry Cake that has been a favorite for decades. Although they start with a doctored cake mix, they burst with strawberry flavor by adding in a box of strawberry Jell-o and some fresh strawberries.
Strawberry Jell-O and puree strawberries are the secret to moist cupcakes! The cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties, bridal showers or a baby shower.
Ingredients for Cake Mix Strawberry Cupcakes
A few notes about ingredients:
- I often use a white cake mix because I usually have one in the pantry, but a strawberry cake mix will pack an extra flavor punch. Especially with the combo of the strawberry gelatin.
- Strawberry pureé is simply fresh or frozen strawberries, finely diced, then run through a food processor. And it also gives a pretty pink color.
- Almond extract pairs nicely with the strawberries and gives the cupcakes a fresh, homemade flavor. Vanilla extract works, but gives the cupcakes a warmer flavor.
✨ See the recipe card for full ingredient amounts. ✨
How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes with Cake Mix
- In a large bowl, mix all of the cupcake ingredients together with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended, about 2-3 minutes.
- Put 24 cupcake liners in a muffin tins and fill the liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Bake at 325ºF for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake mix strawberry cupcakes on a wire rack while you prepare the frosting.
- Make the strawberry buttercream frosting. Using a stand mixer, whip the butter for 2 minutes until it is almost white in appearance. Add in the powdered sugar, almond flavoring, strawberry jam and a drop of red food coloring.
- Beat on low speed for 2-4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. If the frosting is too stiff for spreading, you can add in a tablespoon more of jam or milk.
- Spread the buttercream on the cooled cupcakes with a knife, or use Wilton tip 1M to pipe on a swirl of frosting.
Storage Instructions
- Room temperature: Store the cake mix strawberry cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
- Freezer: Freeze the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Strawberry Recipes You May Also Love
Or try this frosting on our white cream cupcakes! The strawberry cupcakes with cake mix would also be good with our cream cheese frosting. It would imitate a strawberry cheesecake flavor.
Strawberry Cupcakes with Cake Mix
Strawberry Jello makes these simple strawberry cupcakes with cake mix a little extra special. The homemade strawberry frosting on top uses strawberry jam and a hint of almond for a delicious flavor pairing.
Servings 24 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 box Pillsbury white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 small box strawberry jello 3 ounces
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries chopped finely with a food processor
For the frosting:
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam
- red food coloring
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream if needed to make the icing more spreadable
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- In a large bowl, mix all of the cupcake ingredients together with an electric mixer until well blended, about 2-3 minutes. 1 box Pillsbury white cake mix, 4 large egg whites, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 small box strawberry jello, ½ cup water, ½ cup diced strawberries
- Put 24 paper liners in a muffin pan and fill the liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter.
- Bake at 325ºF for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Make the frosting:
- Using a stand mixer, whip the butter for 2 minutes until it is almost white in appearance. 1 cup salted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, almond flavoring, strawberry jam and a drop of red food coloring. 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon almond flavoring, ¼ cup strawberry jam, red food coloring
- Beat on low speed for 2-4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. If the frosting is too stiff for spreading, you can add in a tablespoon more of jam or milk. 1-2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Spread the buttercream on the cooled cupcakes with a knife, or use Wilton tip 1M to pipe on a swirl of frosting.
Notes
The frosting makes enough to pipe large swirls of frosting on each cupcake. If you prefer, you can make half a recipe and spread a smaller mount on each cupcake with a knife.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 frosted cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 frosted cupcake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Serving: 71g | Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Loved these and super easy!!! How long do these last if refrigerated?
This is a great recipe! I really doubted it but made it exactly as printed. It made the prettiest cupcakes! Sometimes strawberry recipes end up too dense because of too much liquid or fat in recipe. These were just right! Good texture, good flavor! The only thing I would do next time is maybe add 3/4 cup of strawberries instead of half cup. These are SUPER bright pink, so pretty with pink icing and sprinkles.
Any reason this can’t be made into 8” round cake? Obviously the bake times would vary…
Made the cupcakes but the not frosting. The cupcakes were delicious. Made as the recipe was written…5 star
Hello! For the cupcakes can I use strawberry topping that is used for ice cream? It was simillar to a jelly. Also does the jello mix make the cupcakes moist? I don’t like dry cupcakes lol. For the frosting could I also use the same jelly mixture?
Is the measurements for the straw berries before or after food processor. Can I use fresh strawberries?
These look delicious! Your recipes are always great. I was wanting to convert this to a raspberry recipe – as I have a fantastic sparkling juice frosting recipe that’ll go on top of a thin layer of white chocolate on these cupcakes that I’ll be using with it for New Years. My question is this – I bought white chip mix-ins to add (not sure if I will yet) but can I use fresh raspberries? They are more fragile than strawberries, so should I chop them instead?
Just made these today and they turned out amazing!!!! Instead of using the strawberry purée for the cakes I used jelly! I also only used 3/4 small ouch of gelatin. Didn’t want any seeds for dietary reasons. The buttercream came out beautifully!
I just put them in the fridge. They are for a party tomorrow. Hope they store ok until then.
I’m using only 1 oz of the cake mix?
This! I love it!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I plan on making these today with some fresh strawberries. One question though, for the buttercream should I add almond extract or vanilla? In the ingredient list it says almond, but in the instructions it reads vanilla. Thanks
These are so pretty, ladies! I love the photos. Gorgeous. Making fruity cuppies is SO much easier using Jello like you did here. Don’t get me wrong, I love a baking challenge and using fresh fruit, but sometimes convenience comes first. Pinning!
Mmmmm I love strawberries! This sounds amazing.