Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes with Cake Mix
A nostalgic dessert, these Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix are made with only 6 ingredients. They have a strawberry shortcake flavor, soft texture, and sweet crunch to them, making them great for any celebration.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 50 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 12
- 🍽 Calories: 269 kcals
- 📋Main Ingredients: Boxed cake mix, sprinkles, strawberry puree, butter, and powdered sugar.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Nut-free
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: These strawberry crunch cupcakes because they use simple ingredients but still feel fun, nostalgic, and bakery-worthy.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
These strawberry crunch cupcakes are one of my favorite easy party desserts because they give you that nostalgic strawberry shortcake ice cream bar flavor without complicated baking steps or ingredients. Using cake mix keeps the cupcakes soft and fluffy, and the sprinkles inside add a nice surprise crunch. They feel like a bakery-style treat with very little effort.
I usually make these for birthdays, summer parties, or when we just want a fun homemade dessert that looks impressive, kind of like this strawberry poke cake with pie filling. With minimal ingredients, they’re fun to whip up and always a hit on the dessert table, just like this 4-ingredient banana pudding with Cool Whip.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why The Recipe Works💭
- Items and Substitutions
- Flavors To Try
- How To Make Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix
- Helpful Hints
- How To Store Them
- Ways To Enjoy Them
- Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix FAQs
- FAQs about cheesecloth
- More Delicious Dessert Recipes
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- Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix
Why The Recipe Works💭
Convenient: This recipe uses a boxed strawberry cake mix to make it super easy to come together.
Versatile: The cupcakes are really easy to decorate, making the recipe a great choice for any unique celebration.
Texture: The cake mix base keeps the cupcakes super soft, but the sprinkles inside are a fun crunch, so you really get the best of both worlds.
Items and Substitutions
- Box of Strawberry Cake Mix: Any flavor of cake mix can work here, but using a box blend helps keep the cupcake recipe super easy.
- Strawberry Puree: Used on the frosting for a pop of color and strawberry flavor, know that fresh strawberries work best here. Super ripe ones, if possible. Of course, any berries can be used if you want to switch it up.
- Butter: This can’t be interchanged with oil as it gives the frosting a rich taste and helps hold its texture.
- Strawberries: Save some of the strawberries to decorate the cupcakes with. Try to choose the brightest ones so that the color pops. I actually like decorating my white Texas sheet cake with fresh berries sometimes, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Tools you’ll need
Before starting the recipe, you’ll want to have all your kitchen essentials ready. I recommend having the following items:
Flavors To Try
Here are a few fun ways to customize the strawberry sprinkle cupcakes and make them even more personal and unique:
- Mix Up the Filling: Instead of classic sprinkles, try using mini chocolate chips, freeze-dried strawberries for extra berry flavor, or a mix of colorful confetti for a bright surprise. Crushed cookies or graham crackers also add a tasty, unexpected crunch, too.
- Flavor the Frosting: You could do a strawberry chocolate flavor combo and use a chocolate-based frosting, or opt for cream cheese frosting for a thicker and richer taste.
- Add Toppings: Garnish with more than strawberry slices by adding a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of chocolate, or old-fashioned blueberry pancake syrup. For a fun presentation, top each cupcake with a small candy or gummy, or even crushed Oreos for maximum indulgence.
How To Make Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix
Before you start, you’ll need to bake 12 cupcakes per the box cake mix instructions and allow them to cool on a rack. Then, slice and puree your strawberries. Next, follow these simple instructions:
Step 1: Use the frosting tip to cut out the center of each cupcake.
Step 3: Fill the hole with sprinkles, leaving room at the top.
Step 3: Put the top of the center cake that you cut out back into the cupcake, gently pushing down on it on top of the sprinkles.
Step 4: Add the butter and pureed strawberries to a stand-mixer bowl, and beat on high until creamy.
Step 6: Add half the powdered sugar and mix on low, then switch to medium. Repeat for the remainder of the powdered sugar, switching to high at the end.
Step 7: Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes in a circular motion.
Step 8: Gently push a sliced strawberry onto the top.
Note
Use a small spoon, cupcake corer, or large frosting tip to create a clean, even hole for the sprinkles. Do not fill the hole to the top, as you need to leave room for capping it with the cake cut out.
Helpful Hints
Pro tip: Cut The Cupcakes Carefully!
After baking and cooling the cupcakes, use a small knife or cupcake corer to create a small cavity in the center for the sprinkles. Aim for a ½-inch wide and deep hole to keep the cupcake structure intact without going through to the bottom.
- Use cupcake liners to prevent sticking. I like to use either reusable silicone liners.
- Seal the Filling with Frosting: Once you’ve filled the cupcakes with sprinkles, cover the hole with a small piece of the removed cupcake or top it with a swirl of frosting. This helps keep the sprinkles hidden and contained, so they stay a fun surprise until that first bite.
- Use the Right Sprinkles: For the best effect, choose small, crunchy sprinkles that won’t dissolve or get soggy over time. Nonpareils or jimmies are perfect because they add color, crunch, and maintain their shape within the cupcake.
- For extra crunch, you can top each cupcake with a small amount of sprinkles before serving, too.
How To Store Them
Storing: Once decorated, store leftover crunch cupcakes in an airtight container. They stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to a week.
Freezing: If possible, only freeze the cupcakes, not the icing and topping. Wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap and foil. They last up to 3 months in the freezer and can be thawed overnight before decorating.
Ways To Enjoy Them
These strawberry cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties, holidays, or potlucks. We love serving them alongside any of the following:
- On a dessert table with easy mini gingerbread cheesecakes or strawberry tanghulu.
- After a Sunday night dinner on Mother’s Day, of something like chicken roll ups.
- Alongside a hot coffee for bridal and baby showers. Sometimes we mix my raspberry compote recipe in place of the strawberry puree here, too.
Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix FAQs
FAQs about cheesecloth
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Strawberry Crunch Cupcake Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes With Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 box strawberry cake mix use your favorite cake mix
- ¼ cup sprinkles
- 3-4 tbsp strawberry puree about ½ cup diced strawberries
- ¼ cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 4 strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Bake 12 cupcakes per box cake mix instructions. Allow to cool on a rack.
- Slice and puree your strawberries. A small food processor or blender is perfect for this.
- Cut out the center of each cupcake with a cupcake corer or knife, then fill with sprinkles, and put the top of the center that you took out back into the cupcake, gently pushing down on it.
- Add the butter and pureed strawberries to the bowl of a mixer (or medium bowl), and beat on high until creamy.
- Add half the powdered sugar and mix in on low, then switch to medium. Repeat for the remainder of the powdered sugar, switching to high at the end.
- Add frosting to a piping bag equipped with large round tip and pipe frosting onto the cupcakes in a circular motion, starting from one side, around the cupcake and meeting the end, then moving into the center and stopping.
- Gently push a sliced strawberry onto the top of the frosted cupcake.
Notes
Nutrition
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- stand mixer, or medium bowl and hand mixer
- piping bag
- Cutting board
- knife
The strawberry flavor really comes through in these and they’re so easy to whip up!