Strawberry Cupcakes Forever
Ever try a recipe and just know that you will love it forever? Yep, that’s these. Strawberry Cupcakes Forever are easy to make using a cake mix and strawberry gelatin. The cupcake is moist and tender, and the buttercream is the perfect compliment to top it off.
I love using a cake mix when I can (to save time), but only when it tastes homemade.
With just a couple of tweaks, these cupcakes are off-the-charts delicious and taste like Grandma made them.
Making Strawberry Cupcakes Forever
Start by lining two muffin pans with cupcake liners and preheat your oven to 350°.
Next, in a large bowl, mix together the ingredients on the cake mix box, but with a few exceptions.
First, make your boxed cake mix taste more homemade by swapping out the water for milk. Use any milk you have (e.g. whole milk, almond milk, etc.).
Second, when making a White cake (or cupcakes) they usually give you two options with the eggs.
I used a Pillsbury Moist Supreme White cake mix, which calls for either egg whites or whole eggs. I went with the egg white version to keep the color as white as possible.
In other words, using whole eggs will make the batter a slight yellow, which is fine, but not if you’re going for a specific color. So, I used four egg whites instead of three whole eggs.
The last exception is to leave the actual dry cake mix as the last ingredient.
So, now in order, mix the milk, oil, and egg whites together. The next ingredient to mix in is the gelatin.
Once that’s well combined, add the dry cake mix and mix together just until combined. More specifically, don’t over mix or you’ll end up with hockey pucks.
Divide the batter amongst the 24 cups and bake per instructions on the cake mix box. Mine took 22 minutes.
Give them the traditional toothpick test to make sure they’re done, then let them cool completely before frosting.
Making Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
I love this recipe, because it’s the perfect amount for 24 cupcakes, or an 8″ or 9″ layered cake. Mostly, though, because it tastes amazing and I love frosting.
So, beat the butter, salt, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Quick note: I use salted butter, because it cuts the sweetness down, so if you like your frosting sweeter, use unsalted butter.
Also, like the cake batter, if you want the frosting to be as white as possible use clear vanilla extract. You can also make the frosting a true white color by substituting the butter for shortening, but the taste is better with butter. Way better. Love me some butter! Ok, back to the recipe.
Start incorporating the powdered sugar in batches.
Alternate the powdered sugar with the heavy cream (at least two tablespoons) until all the powdered sugar is in there. Then adjust the consistency with the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time.
Decorating Cupcakes
Although the frosting was ready to go at this point, I wanted to make it pink and white. I split the frosting in half and added just two drops of pink coloring to one half.
Then, I laid down a piece of plastic wrap and plopped down some of the white in the shape of a log. (Please see the pictures.) Then I added a row of pink right on top of the white, then rolled it up tight and twisted one end.
Drop the open end into a piping bag with the tip already in place. Now you’re ready to frost those cupcakes.
Oh, and I also added sprinkles and sanding sugar. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better, so I’ll let you decide.
Another fun sprinkle is Strawberry Crunch Topping. It makes enough for your 24 cupcakes and then some. Use it over ice cream or on top of your breakfast waffles. Yummy!
Love Making Cupcakes?
Me, too. Here are a few more of my favorites:
- Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
- Lemon Rosemary Cupcakes
- Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
- Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes
- Brown Butter Pecan Cupcakes
…and so much more. Just enter “cupcakes” in the search bar, or click HERE and I’ll take you there myself. You’re welcome.
If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.
Strawberry Cupcakes Forever
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 15.25 oz. box White cake mix (like Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups milk (whole milk, almond milk, etc.) instead of water
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 oz. box strawberry gelatin (such as Jell-O brand)
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup butter (see Notes)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
- Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350°.
Cupcakes:
- In large bowl, mix together the egg whites, milk, and oil. Stir in gelatin until well mixed. Stir in dry cake mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Divide batter amongst 24 cups and bake per box instructions.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely while you make the frosting.
Buttercream Frosting:
- In large bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar in batches, alternating with 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Once mixed, add more heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.
- Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Strawberry Cupcakes Forever
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