Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes
User Reviews
4.2
Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes
Description
The Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes bring together familiar packaged ingredients including strawberry cake mix, dry instant pudding or jello mix, and strawberry milkshake mix to deepen the strawberry flavor in the batter. The cupcakes bake to a tender, moist consistency, with a delicate crumb that's neither too dense nor dry. The frosting is a classic buttercream base enhanced with strawberry milk powder, which gives it a creamy texture and complementary flavor to the cake. Topping with strawberry candies adds a playful texture contrast and completes the strawberry motif.
Baked in muffin liners at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 18 minutes, the cupcakes require cooling before frosting. The frosting can be spread or piped, and the recipe suggests that doubling the frosting may be necessary for piping. This method produces a visually appealing, richly flavored dessert centered on strawberry notes throughout the cake and frosting layers.
These cupcakes work well for parties or gatherings where a fruity, cake-mix-based treat is welcome. The use of packaged flavored mixes simplifies preparation yet provides a consistent strawberry flavor, making this recipe accessible to many home bakers.
As a note, buttermilk is used in the batter but a substitute of milk with lemon juice can be employed if necessary. The recipe also notes that strawberry pudding mix is ideal but a strawberry jello mix can suffice to maintain strong strawberry flavor, resulting in softer cupcakes.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 Strawberry Cake Mix 16.25 ounce
- 1 1/4 /4 cups buttermilk (see note for substitute)
- 1/2 /2 cup neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 3 egg
- 1 dry instant strawberry pudding mix 3.4 ounce box or 1 (3.0 ounce) box strawberry jello mix
- 1/3 /3 cup strawberry milk drink mix (such as Nesquik)
Frosting:
- 1/2 /2 cup butter , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 /4 cup strawberry milk powder (such as Nesquik)
- 3 1/2 - 4 /2 - 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 /4 cup heavy cream may not use all of it, or milk
For topping:
- strawberry candies or gumballs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 muffin cavities with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs, dry pudding mix, and strawberry milk drink mix together with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until blended. Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling until about 3/4 cup full.
- Bake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist - not wet - crumbs. Cool completely.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, vanilla, and strawberry milk powder together until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add om the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy. Add in the cream or milk one tablespoon at a time if the frosting is too thick.
- Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 2D tip. If piping the frosting, you may want to double the frosting recipe. Top with strawberry candies or pink gumballs, then serve.
- I kept mine in the fridge because I did notice that the frosting gets soft at room temperature.
Notes
- If you cannot find dry strawberry pudding mix, strawberry jello mix serves as a good substitute to maintain flavor.
- Use buttermilk for the batter, or substitute by adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- For piping frosting, consider doubling the frosting recipe to have enough volume.
- The recipe makes 18 cupcakes, suitable for gatherings or celebrations.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.2
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