These luscious Strawberry Cupcakes with a Whipped Strawberry Mousse Filling start with a tender vanilla cupcake, get filled with a light strawberry mousse, and finish with a swirl of vanilla frosting and a fresh strawberry. You get a taste of heaven in each bite.
These creative cupcake ideas make my heart sing. Start with a vanilla cupcake and add a whipped strawberry mousse filling, and a simple recipe comes alive. Adding the filling takes a little longer, but it is worth the wait.
Cupcakes are a fun way to make any dessert or event extra special, and filled cupcakes take a plain cupcake right over the edge. If you love decadent desserts like I do, this one will become a favorite.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 18 to 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
- 🍽️ Servings: 12 cupcakes
- ⚡ Calories: 577kcal per cupcake
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery vanilla cake, airy strawberry cream filling and sweet vanilla buttercream
- ✋ Difficulty: Moderate, the filling is the fun extra step
Quick Answer
Bake buttermilk vanilla cupcakes at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes and let them cool. Core out the center of each with an apple corer. Whip heavy cream with confectioners sugar to medium stiff peaks, blend in strawberry jam, and pipe the mousse into the cupcakes. Top with a swirl of vanilla buttercream piped with a 1M tip and a fresh strawberry.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Strawberry Mousse Filled Cupcakes
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas & Suggestions
- Strawberry Mousse Cupcake FAQs
- Other Recommended Cupcake Recipes
- Strawberry Cupcakes with Filling of Whipped Mousse
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cake flour plus all purpose flour. Cake flour keeps the crumb tender, while a little all purpose flour gives enough structure to hold a filling.
- An extra egg yolk. It adds richness and moisture to the vanilla cupcake.
- Buttermilk. Its tang balances the sweet filling and frosting and keeps the cake soft.
- Alternating the flour and buttermilk. Adding them in batches mixes the batter evenly without over working it.
- Coring after cooling. A cooled cupcake holds its shape, so the corer makes a clean pocket for the mousse.
- Medium stiff peaks. Whipped just enough to pipe, the mousse stays light and airy inside the cake.
- Jam for flavor. Strawberry jam adds real fruit flavor and pink color without making the cream runny.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A surprise inside. Every bite has a pocket of whipped strawberry mousse.
- Bakery style with a tall swirl of frosting and a fresh strawberry on top.
- Made from scratch with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for celebrations, from birthdays and showers to Valentine’s Day and tea parties.
- Easy to dress up with chocolate dipped strawberries or a balsamic drizzle.
- Part of a cupcake family: find more favorites in my over 25 cupcake recipes.
Key Ingredients
Three parts: vanilla cupcakes, strawberry mousse filling and vanilla frosting. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Cake flour and all purpose flour. Whisked with baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Unsalted butter and sugar. Creamed together for a light, tender cupcake.
- Eggs and an extra yolk. Added one at a time.
- Buttermilk and vanilla extract. For moisture and flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar and strawberry jam. The whipped mousse filling.
- For the frosting: room temperature butter, sifted confectioners sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt. My frosting is adapted from Martha Stewart, and my favorite buttercream works too.
- Fresh strawberries for the top.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Chocolate dipped strawberries: dip the berries in melted chocolate before setting them on top.
- Balsamic drizzle: simmer 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with brown sugar and drizzle it over the cupcakes for a grown up twist.
- Sliced berries: fan sliced strawberries over the frosting instead of a whole berry.
- Pink frosting: add a drop of food coloring to the buttercream.
- Other fillings: raspberry jam works the same way in the mousse.
- More filled cupcakes: try my key lime cupcakes filled with key lime.
How to Make Strawberry Mousse Filled Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan with liners.
- Put both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to sift.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer, then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the yolk.
- Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, then add the vanilla extract.
- Scoop the batter into the liners with an ice cream scoop and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Check often and don’t over bake. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
- Core out the middle of each cupcake with an apple corer or a fill my cupcakes.
- For the mousse, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners sugar to medium stiff peaks, then whip in the strawberry jam until blended. Spoon it into a pastry bag and fill the cupcakes.
- For the frosting, beat the butter and add the sifted confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time, then the vanilla and salt, plus a drop of food coloring if you like. Pipe a swirl on each cupcake with a Wilton 1M tip and top with a fresh strawberry.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Check the cupcakes often. Over baked cupcakes turn dry; pull them as soon as they spring back.
- Cool completely before coring so the cupcakes keep their shape.
- Chill the bowl for the mousse; cold cream whips faster and holds its shape.
- Don’t over whip. Stop at medium stiff peaks so the mousse stays silky.
- Use room temperature butter for smooth, pipeable frosting.
- Storage: because of the cream filling, keep the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator and let them sit out a few minutes before serving.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
These are perfect for a birthday, a bridal or baby shower, Valentine’s Day or an afternoon tea alongside my other tea party desserts. For a strawberry dessert table, add strawberry cheesecake in a jar, strawberry cheesecake brownies, strawberry scones and a sparkling cider strawberry poke cake.
Summer parties love strawberry basil popsicles and fruit salsa. For more cupcakes, try dark chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, Earl Grey cupcakes, peppermint bark cupcakes or Valentine’s Day mini brownie bites, and browse all my cupcakes.
Strawberry Mousse Cupcake FAQs
Once the cupcakes cool, core out the center with an apple corer or a cupcake corer, then pipe the filling into the hole before frosting.
It is best piped soon after whipping, but you can keep it covered in the refrigerator for a few hours and give it a quick whisk before filling.
Keep them covered in the refrigerator because of the cream filling, and let them sit out a few minutes before serving.
A Wilton 1M tip gives the tall, rose style swirl in the photo.
Yes. Bake vanilla cupcakes from a box, then core, fill and frost them the same way.
Sliced strawberries, a chocolate dipped strawberry or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar all work beautifully.
Strawberry Cupcakes with Filling of Whipped Mousse
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Mousse Filling
- 16 oz heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoon strawberry jam
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 stick of room temp butter unsalted
- 3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees, line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Put both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to sift.
- Put butter and sugar in a mixer and start beating. Add eggs one at a time.
- Add the flour mixer in three batches with the buttermilk in between. Then add the vanilla extract. Scoop your batter into liners with an ice cream scoop. Bake 18 to 20 minutes. Check often, don’t overbake. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled – use an apple corer and core out the middle of the cupcake.
Mousse whipping cream:
- Put the heavy whipping cream into a bowl with whisk attached and add confectioners sugar and whip until medium stiff peaks. Add strawberry jam and whip until blended. Put in pastry bag and fill cupcakes.
Vanilla Frosting:
- Place butter in mixer and add 1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar at a time. Then add vanilla and salt. You can also add a drop of food coloring if you prefer. Fill a pastry bag and use a 1M tip by Wilton and swirl around the top of the cupcake.
Alexis Grace says
OOhhhh— these look like the would seriously impress! I won't be baking for Valentine's Day this year, but perhaps I will save these for another special occasion!
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Candi says
They are pretty simple and sure to please. I hope you and hubby have a great Valentines Day.
Carole says
Yum! Pinning it to Pinterest!
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Candi says
Thanks Carole, hope you are having a great weekend.
My recent post Dessert Recipe Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes
Sheila says
Woah! This looks really delicious. Made me really crave for strawberry cupcakes. In fact, will try to grab some ingredients today. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Alyssa says
Hello Candi! Nice recipe, these cupcakes looks so delicious and the filling of mousse added more flavor in it. I will surely try it for my kids. Thanks for sharing so yummy recipe.