Fluffy vanilla cupcakes loaded with fresh strawberry filling. These Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes will be a hit at your next picnic!

When fresh strawberries are overflowing from farmer’s markets and strawberry fields, what do you make? Fresh homemade strawberry cupcakes and strawberry trifles are pretty, but if you need something quick, these filled Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes are the way to go.

closeup of a cupcake with a strawberry on top

About this Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe:

Flavor: These have a base flavor of vanilla, just as a shortcake would. You’ll get that strawberry filling from the fresh strawberries and jam inside and any strawberries that you decorate them with.
Texture: The cupcake is light and fluffy, and there’s diced strawberries inside to give it texture and keep it moist.

Vanilla Cupcakes from Box Cake Mix

You’ll notice that this recipe starts from a box cake mix, but you’ll add to it to make it taste homemade. This is basically the WASC cake recipe. WASC stands for White Almond Sour Cream. It’s a vintage recipe that has many variations, but the first time I saw it was on a recipe site called Cake Central. You’ll never know that it starts with a cake mix. So good!

Because you’re adding more ingredients than the box calls for, it is going to make a large amount of cupcakes. About 36 to be exact. If you don’t need them all at once, you can freeze the baked cupcakes before you fill them. They’ll freeze well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Strawberry Filling for Cupcakes

I love that the filling in these cupcakes taste so fresh. It’s just 3 ingredients: fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and honey to sweeten.

white cupcakes with strawberry filling in a cupcake pan

Vanilla Frosting for Cupcakes

This recipe uses a combo of both butter and shortening as the base. This is to help prevent the frosting from tasting too buttery. You can use all shortening or all butter if you’d like, but know that it will change the flavor from the recipe we tested.

Use a pastry bag and a large piping tip to pipe swirls of frosting on top of the cupcakes. Place a strawberry on top if you’d like.

piping a swirl of vanilla frosting on a cupcake

Storage Instructions

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. These are best served the same day so that they don’t get too moist in the center.
Because of the fruit filling, these are not the best for freezing.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

Fluffy vanilla cupcakes loaded with fresh strawberry filling. These Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes will be a hit at your next picnic!

Servings 36

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 22

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 1 17

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Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix 15.25 ounces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites room temperature
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling:

1 cup fresh strawberries diced
1/3 cup strawberry jam
2 tablespoons honey

Frosting ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup shortening
5-6 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners (you’ll need about 36) and set them aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the dry ingredients together: cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
Slowly, add in water, sour cream, egg whites, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything has been combined.
Add batter into the lined cupcake pan, filling 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the center bounces back when you touch it.
Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Make the filling:

In a medium bowl mix together chopped strawberries, strawberry jam, and honey.
Cut out the center of the cupcakes and spoon strawberry filling into the center. Add top back to the cupcake to hold filling in.

Make the frosting:

With an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), mix butter and shortening until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add in milk and vanilla extract.
Slowly, add in confectioners’ sugar a little at a time. If frosting is too thick you can add 1 teaspoon of milk until you have reached the texture, you are looking for. Mix frosting for another 3 minutes using the whisk attachment.

Assemble the cupcakes:

Add frosting to a piping bag with a large tip (Wilton 1M or 2D) and pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. These are best served the same day so that they don’t get too moist in the center.
Because of the fruit filling, these are not the best for freezing.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 36 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 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. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**