Ingredients

• 12 ounces strawberries , chopped, or more to taste
• 1.5 tablespoons white sugar , or to taste
• 2.75 cups sifted cake flour
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoons salt
• 1.25 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 4 large eggs , at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 0.25 teaspoons strawberry extract
• 0.5 cups 2% milk

Instructions

1. 1 Place 12 ounces chopped strawberries in a bowl; cover with 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar. Refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. 3 Mash chopped strawberry and sugar mixture with a potato masher, or pulse gently in the bowl of a food processor until strawberries are chunky. Strain strawberries over a bowl, reserving juice.
4. 4 Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
5. 5 Beat 1 ¼ cups white sugar and 1 cup butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale yellow and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl; beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and strawberry extract.
6. 6 Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with ½ cup milk, blending well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. 7 Fold in mashed strawberries and 5 tablespoons strawberry juice with a wooden spoon until well incorporated; you can see strawberry bits showing throughout batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each ¾ full.
8. 8 Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden color and tops spring back when pressed, about 18 minutes.
9. 9 Cool in muffin cups for 5 minutes; transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling, about 30 minutes more.
10. 10 Combine confectioners' sugar, ½ cup butter, 1 tablespoon milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until creamy.
11. 11 Pipe frosting onto cupcakes; garnish each with 1 strawberry slice.

Nutrition per serving