Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes
Delight in these Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes inspired by the classic strawberry crunch ice cream bars; a treat filled with childhood nostalgia and vibrant flavors.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Cupcake Baking Pan
- Food Processor
- piping bag
- extra large piping tip
Ingredients
Strawberry Jell-O Cupcakes
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 whole egg room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water luke warm
- 1.5 ounces strawberry gelatin
- ½ cup water boiling
Strawberry Crunch
- 6-8 pieces vanilla Oreos
- .5 ounce freeze-dried strawberries use Thousand Lakes brand
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Strawberry Jell-O Cupcakes
- Set your oven to 350 °F and line a 12 cavity muffin tin with baking cups or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granular sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and the egg.
- Fold everything together until just combined, careful to not overmix.
- Slowly pour the warm water into the batter, stirring at the same time. The batter should be loose with no lumps of batter.
- Divide batter equally into the 12 cavities, filling them ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the cupcakes no longer appear glossy on the top and spring back to the touch. A toothpick test should come out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin. Then remove the cupcakes and place them in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the strawberry gelatin. In a small bowl add boiling water and strawberry gelatin. Whisk until incorporated and set aside.
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, poke several holes in them with a fork. You want plenty of holes so the gelatin has places to seep in.
- Using a spoon, pour the slightly cooled strawberry gelatin over the cupcakes.
- Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set up.
Strawberry Crunch
- In a food processor pulse together vanilla Oreos, freeze-dried strawberries, and melted unsalted butter until fine crumbs.
- Pour into a shallow-wide dish or plate and set aside.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer, on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl sift together the powdered sugar and corn starch.
- On low to medium speed, add 1 cup of the powdered sugar mixture to the cream cheese mixture at a time, scraping down the bowl between each cup.
- Once combined, turn stand mixer to high and beat for 30 seconds.
- Add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time if the buttercream is too loose.
- Fit piping bag with a coupler and piping tip of your choice. Fill with frosting, tie off with a rubber band, and set aside until ready to use.
Decorating the Cupcakes
- Pipe a layer of frosting on top of the entire cupcake. Dip it into the strawberry crunch until evenly and well coated.
- Pipe a swirl in the center and on top of the strawberry crunch, leaving some of the strawberry crunch exposed.
- Continue until all 12 cupcakes are decorated. Serve.
Notes
Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. In the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 350kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!