Ultimate Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
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Ultimate Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes Recipe! These festive and fluffy strawberry cupcakes are filled with an easy, creamy cheesecake pudding and crowned with a fresh, homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting that is the ultimate treat!
Everyone will go bonkers over them, because who doesn’t love strawberries and cheesecake flavors together, like this Strawberry Dream Cake! More strawberry recipes? You may want to check out this Classic Copycat Shoney’s Strawberry Pie and these Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies if you’re definitely a strawberry lover!
Why We Love This Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake Recipe
What I love about this easy strawberry cheesecake cupcake recipe is that you make make it anytime of year, especially if you’re a strawberry and cheesecake fan! We love lots of strawberry flavor!
Plus, since we are making a cheesecake pudding and a homemade frosting, we decided to use a strawberry cake mix for the convenience, but you could also use my Strawberry Dream Cake recipe, if you want to go full blown homemade. Either way, they will be amazing!!
Plus, it’s nice you can usually get strawberries all year round as well, so these cupcake gems are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day and of course, Birthday parties! You can’t go wrong ya know?
If you’re a fan of strawberry heavenly desserts, you’ll love this Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake Tiramisu, this Strawberry-Raspberry Jell-O Whipped Cheesecake Layered Salad, this Heavenly Strawberry Pretzel Dessert, this Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownie Trifle Delight and this Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake!
Ingredients You Need for Best Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake Recipe
Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake Recipe
- 1 package Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Strawberry Flavored Premium Cake Mix, plus ingredients (1 cup water, ¼ cup vegetable oil and 3 large eggs)
Cheesecake Pudding Filling
- vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
- cream cheese, softened
- almond milk or milk of choice
- whipped cream, like Cool Whip or freshly whipping cream whipped
Homemade Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- strawberries pureed in blender or food processor
- unsalted butter, very softened
- cream cheese, very softened
- confectioners’ sugar
- salt
- vanilla extract or strawberry extract
How to Make Strawberry Cupcakes
- Use your favorite boxed or homemade recipe for strawberry cake mix to make your strawberry flavored cupcakes. We used Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Strawberry Flavored Premium Cake Mix. Thankfully it doesn’t taste artificial, which we adore!
- Make the cake batter and bake the cupcakes in cupcake liners/muffin pan in the oven and then let them cool. Once cooled, use an apple corer or use a sharp knife to cut out circle in the middle of the cupcakes and scoop out any extra cake so you can fill them with the filling.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the cheesecake filling. We used a small vanilla pudding mixed with 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 1/2 cups whipped cream (we made fresh but for a shortcut, use Cool Whip if preferred and softened cream cheese.
- Whip it all together and get the most delish creamy cheesecake pudding, which is amazing all by itself!
- Pipe the pudding into each of the cupcake centers and make your frosting!
How to Make the Strawberry Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use 10-12 fresh large strawberries and purée them in a blender or food processor. Place the puréed strawberries in a microwavable container and nuke them on high for 4 1/2 minutes.
- Stir them 1-2 times while they are cooking while the mixture thickens up and condenses down.
- Place mixture in freezer or fridge to cool mixture off. When making the frosting, if the purée is not reduced to the correct amount it will make frosting runny.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, on medium speed, whip 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter and softened cream cheese until fluffy and creamy.
- Add 1/2 of the confectioners’ sugar and mix on medium until mixed well. Add pureed strawberries, vanilla, salt and beat together. Add remainder of powdered sugar until icing is desired consistency.
- Pipe on the icing. And DEVOUR! For a shortcut, you can of course buy 2 tubs of vanilla frosting and softened cream cheese whip them together. Add some pureed strawberries to give them a fresh looking strawberry cream cheese frosting.
How To Hollow Out Cupcakes To Add Filling
- To make a hole in the cupcakes, you can use a paring knife and cut a circle out or use an apple corer. Rotate the corer to cut a full circle and pull the corer out of the cupcake. Then just push the small cake round out of the corer to fill with the pudding.
Should You Fill Cupcakes Warm or Cold?
- Fill cupcakes once they have cooled completely, otherwise the pudding will melt into the cupcakes.
What is The Easiest Way to Fill the Cupcakes?
- You can use a piping bag or a spoon to fill the center of your cupcake with. I prefer to fill a pastry bag, it makes it so much easier, but you could also fill a ziplock bag and cut a corner out to pipe the pudding inside.
How to Store Pudding Filled Cupcakes
- To Store – Keep the filled cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. It’s probably best to serve these the same day or within the next 2-3 days since they are filled with pudding.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before adding the pudding inside.
- Use a piping bag with a star tip to make bakery style swirls on the tops of the strawberry cupcakes if you want them to look extra pretty!
- Serve these awesome cupcakes for spring or summer potlucks.
- Want even more strawberry flavor in the frosting? You could add some freeze-dried strawberries to your frosting. You can get it in powder form or place freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor to make them a powder.
- If you don’t have strawberries to puree in the blender, you could also opt replacing it with strawberry jam or preserves. You may want to add some sour cream as an option with the cream cheese frosting as well if the frosting is too sweet for your liking.
Party on with these delicious strawberry flavored cream cheese filled cupcakes for the perfect ultimate treat much like these Super Easy Strawberry Brownies! No one is going to resist these ultimate treats!
More cupcakes? Perfect Hershey’s Chocolate Cupcakes, Ultimate Oreo Cupcakes, Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, Ultimate Kit Kat Cupcakes. Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, Boston Cream Cupcakes, Double Stuffed Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes and these luscious Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes!
More Desserts for Partying!
- How to Make a Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cake
- Strawberry Lime Margarita Jello Shots
- 20 Dessert Delights Using Strawberries
- Strawberry Explosion Cheesecake Trifle Desserts
- Easy Lemon Strawberry Yogurt Pound Cake
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- 25 Drool-Worthy Red Velvet Dessert Recipes
- Red Velvet Levain Cookies
- Heavenly White Chocolate Buttercream Frosted Vanilla Butter Cupcakes
- Vanilla White Bundt Cakes
- Mini Cupcake Golden Oreo Cookie Balls
- Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Check out 10 Super Sweet Christmas Tree Desserts To Pine Over and 12 No Churn Ice Cream Recipes!
Ultimate Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- 1 package Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Strawberry Flavored Premium Cake Mix plus ingredients (1 cup water, 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 3 large eggs)
Cheesecake Pudding:
- 1 3.4 oz Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 ½ cups whipped cream or freshly whipping cream whipped
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 10-12 Strawberries pureed in blender or food processor
- ½ cup unsalted butter very softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese very softened
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract could be used
Instructions
Strawberry Cupcakes:
- Use your favorite strawberry cake mix to make your cupcakes. We used Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Strawberry Flavored Premium Cake Mix.
- Bake the cupcakes as instructed on box instructions and then let them cool. Once cooled, use an apple corer or use a sharp knife to cut out circle in the middle of the cupcakes and scoop out any extra cake so you can fill them with the filling.
Cheesecake Pudding Filling:
- While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the cheesecake filling. Using a mixer, mix together the softened cream cheese. In another bowl, mix together the almond milk and instant pudding mix together and add it to the cream cheese and mix until very smooth. Add in 1 & 1/2 cups whipped cream (we made fresh but for a shortcut, use Cool Whip if preferred) and whip it all together. Pipe the pudding into the middle of each of the cupcakes.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Use 10-12 fresh large strawberries and puree them in a blender or food processer. Place the pureed strawberries in a microwavable container and nuke them on high for 4 1/2 minutes. Stir them 1-2 times while they are cooking while the mixture thickens up and condenses down. Place mixture in freezer or fridge to cool mixture off.
- Using a mixer, whip 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter and 8 ounces of softened cream cheese until fluffy and creamy. Add 1/2 of the confectioners’ sugar and mix on medium until mixed well. Add pureed strawberries, vanilla, salt and beat together. Add remainder of powdered sugar until icing is desired consistency.
- Pipe on the icing. And DEVOUR!
- Place cupcakes in fridge until ready to serve. We recommend you let them sit out 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
I’ve frozen cupcake “blanks” unfilled and unfrosted. Store unfrosted in a heavy freezer bag for up to 2 months. Add the frosting to thawed cupcakes before serving. Enjoy!!
Hi. Could I make these ahead of time and freeze them? When I need them, then I could put the icing on? Thanks!
That sounds amazing with the strawberry puree Hannah. YUM!
Could I add in some fresh strawberry purée to the cheesecake filling to make it strawberry cheesecake?
These strawberry cupcakes are so beautiful Kim! And man, do they ever look delicious!!
Thank you so much Michelle! Definitely what I had in mind when I made them! 🙂
These cupcakes look fantastic, Kim! They’d be perfect for Valentine’s Day! 🙂