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These delicious strawberry lemon cupcakes with strawberry filling are light, fluffy, and bursting with fresh strawberries, lemon zest, and a sweet strawberry buttercream frosting.

These strawberry cupcakes are an easy summer dessert made with fresh strawberries and lemons. — *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains other affiliate links too for your convenience. You can read my privacy policy for more details.

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You know how sometimes there’s a recipe that feels like the season?

Like one bite and you’re immediately transported somewhere that feels warm and nostalgic?

That’s exactly what these strawberry lemon cupcakes with strawberry filling have been doing for me.

I’ve been developing this recipe since early spring, and I won’t tell you how many cupcakes I’ve “taste tested” over the last few weeks.

Unfrosted cupcakes are considered muffins…right?

Anyways, they’re perfect for Mother’s Day brunch, birthday parties, a 4th of July gathering, or a random Tuesday when you just need something sweet and special.

The combination of fresh lemon and strawberry is one of those pairings that quite simply just works.

Bright, a little tart, sweet without being too sweet, and a jam filled center?

The best!!!

What You’ll Love About These Bakery Style Cupcakes

Each cupcake is filled with strawberry jam, giving you a little burst of flavor in every bite.
The bright lemon keeps everything feeling light while the strawberries add just the right amount of sweetness.
These bake up tall, fluffy, and tender just like something you’d pick up at your favorite bakery.
They feel a little elevated with the filling and frosting, but are still easy enough to make at home.

Strawberry lemonade cupcakes on a wooden board with fresh strawberries and lemon.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Lemon Strawberry Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting

You don’t need anything fancy, just simple ingredients you can easily find at any grocery store.

Fresh strawberries and a good lemon are the stars, so don’t skimp on those.

For the Cupcakes

All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cupcakes their soft, tender structure.
Baking Powder: Helps the cupcakes rise tall and achieve that bakery style look.
Lemon Zest: Brings a fresh, bright citrus flavor.
Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and keeps the crumb moist.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cupcakes just enough without overpowering the fruit.
Eggs: Bind everything together and give the cupcakes structure.
Whole Milk: Keeps the texture light, soft, and fluffy.
Fresh Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and balances the sweetness.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the flavor with warm notes. Make your own using this recipe.
Fresh Strawberries: Add natural sweetness and juicy bursts throughout each bite.
Strawberry Jam: Creates the sweet filling hidden inside each cupcake.

Strawberry Frosting

Unsalted Butter: Creates a smooth, creamy base for the buttercream.
Powdered Sugar: Thickens and sweetens the frosting to the perfect consistency.
Strawberry Jam: Adds fruity flavor and a soft pink color.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall sweetness and balances the strawberry.
Red Food Coloring (optional): A drop or two if you want to enhance the pink color.

Find the measurements and full recipe below!

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I’m Heidi, the heart and hands behind Eleanor Rose Home.

Heidi and her dachshund rescue Eleanor Roosevelt.

I’ll show you that your home can become a place of warmth, comfort, and style with practical tips, creative ideas, and my own journey to help you create a space that feels like you…welcoming, personal, and full of charm.

More About me See more dessert recipes

How to Make Strawberry Filled Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

Don’t let the filling and frosting fool you, these cupcakes are actually really easy and straightforward to make.

Here’s the step by step instructions…

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01

Make the Cupcake Batter

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, white sugar, eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together. Don’t overmix, this is what keeps the cupcakes soft and moist.

02

Fill the Cupcake Liners

Fill each cupcake liner with the batter.

Strawberry lemon cupcake batter evenly divided into muffin liners for baking.

03

Add the Strawberries and Bake

Sprinkle the chopped fresh strawberries on top of each cupcake, pressing them into the surface. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 13–17 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Fresh strawberries sprinkled to the top of each strawberry lemon cupcake in a metal tin.

04

Let the Cupcakes Cool

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baked lemon strawberry cupcakes cooling in metal muffin tin.

04

Fill With Strawberry Jam

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a small knife or corer to remove a small portion from the center of each one. Spoon or pipe the strawberry jam into the center, then place the top back on.

05

Make the Strawberry Buttercream

In a large bowl, beat the butter for 2–3 minutes until light and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Then, add the strawberry jam and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined. You can add a drop or two of red food coloring and mix until you get the shade you like.

06

Frost and Finish

Once the cupcakes are completely cool and filled, pipe or spread the strawberry icing on top. Finish with a fresh strawberry and enjoy!

Helpful Tips

Start with room temperature ingredients. Let your eggs, milk, and butter sit out before you begin so everything mixes together smoothly and gives you a better texture.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once the wet and dry ingredients come together, mix just until combined to keep the cupcakes soft and fluffy.
If your strawberries are extra juicy, lightly toss them in a little flour before adding them to the batter to help keep them from sinking.
Use a smooth strawberry jam so the filling is easy to work with and the buttercream stays creamy without any chunks.
Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting so the jam stays in place and the buttercream doesn’t melt.

Storing Leftover Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

The good news is that these cupcakes store really well, although leftovers are rarely a problem around here.

Once frosted, store your strawberry lemon cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

Because of the strawberry buttercream and jam filling, you’ll want to keep them chilled to keep the texture and freshness.

Pull them out of the fridge about 20–30 minutes before serving and let them come to room temperature.

Cold buttercream can be dense and waxy, but give it a little time to soften and it transforms into that creamy texture it’s supposed to be.

Want to make the cupcakes ahead of time?

You can bake the cupcakes a day in advance and store them unfrosted at room temperature in an airtight container.

Then add the jam filling and pipe on the buttercream the day you plan to serve them.

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Freezer friendly too!

If you want to get even further ahead, you can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to a month.

Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap, pop them in a freezer bag, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready to fill and frost.

Lemon strawberry cupcakes with strawberry jam filling.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake Variations and Substitutions

One of the things I love most about this recipe is how flexible it is.

Here are some fun ways to switch things up or work with what you have on hand…

Fruit Swaps

Raspberries are a great substitution for strawberries, both in the batter and the buttercream. The tartness pairs well with the lemon.
Blueberries are another good option if that’s what you have. Think of it as a summery blueberry lemon cupcake.
You can substitute frozen strawberries for fresh, but thaw completely and pat dry before using so they don’t add extra liquid to the batter.

Frosting Options

Cream Cheese Frosting: Swap half the butter in the buttercream for softened cream cheese for a tangier, slightly denser frosting.
Lemon Buttercream: Skip the strawberry jam in the frosting and add fresh lemon juice and zest instead.
Whipped Cream: For a lighter icing, a dollop of freshly whipped cream on top is simple, pretty, and delicious. Kind of like strawberry shortcake.

Filling Alternatives

Lemon curd is a great filling if you want to lean into the lemon flavor.
Mixed berry jam works just as well as straight strawberry jam if that’s what’s in your pantry.

Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes With Strawberry Filling Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?
Fresh is definitely best, especially since chopped strawberries go right into the batter. That said, if strawberries aren’t in season, you can use frozen just thaw them completely and pat them dry before adding so they don’t make the batter too wet.

Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
I would use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. The lemon zest and fresh juice together are what give these cupcakes that bright, real lemon flavor. Bottled juice just doesn’t have the same punch, and the zest especially makes a big difference.

Can I skip the strawberry filling?
You can, but I wouldn’t! That jammy center is what makes these extra special. It only takes a few extra minutes and the payoff is huge, especially when someone bites in and finds that surprise inside.

My buttercream is too soft. What do I do?
This usually happens if your butter was too warm. Add a little more powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until it firms up. You can also pop the bowl in the fridge for 10–15 minutes and then give it another beat.

Can I make these ahead of time?
Absolutely. You can bake and cool the cupcakes a day ahead and store them unfrosted. Then add the jam filling and buttercream the day you plan to serve them. The unfrosted cupcakes can also be frozen for up to a month, thaw before filling and frosting.

How do I store these cupcakes?
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Because of the buttercream, you’ll want to keep them chilled. Pull them out about 20–30 minutes before serving so they come to room temperature.

Did you make this recipe?

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Strawberry lemon cupcakes with fresh strawberries and pink frosting.

Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting

These strawberry lemon cupcakes with strawberry filling are soft, bakery style cupcakes made with fresh strawberries, bright lemon flavor, and a sweet strawberry buttercream. This recipe is simple, fresh, and perfect for spring and summer baking.

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12 cupcakes

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 1 15

Ingredients

Cupcake Dry Ingredients

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
Zest From 1 Large Lemon

Cupcake Wet Ingredients

½ cup Unsalted Butter melted and cooled
¾ cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
½ cup Whole Milk
¼ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cupcake Add-Ins

1 ¼ cups Fresh Strawberries chopped plus extra for topping

Cupcake Filling

½ cup Strawberry Jam smooth, no large chunks

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
2 1/2-3 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
1/4 cup Strawberry Jam
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Red Food Coloring optional

Instructions

Cupcakes & Filling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth and fully combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and lemon zest.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined, being careful not to overmix the cupcake batter.
Fill each cupcake liner with cupcake batter.
Add the chopped fresh strawberries to the top, gently pressing them into the surface.
Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees, then without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 13–17 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Once cooled, use a small knife or cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Spoon or pipe strawberry jam into the center, then place the top back on.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

To make the frosting, beat the room temperature butter for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
Add the strawberry jam and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined.
If needed, adjust the texture by adding more powdered sugar or mixing longer. Add a small drop of red food coloring if desired.
Pipe or spread the strawberry buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and top with fresh strawberries.

Notes

Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting.
Use smooth jam for both the filling and the frosting for the best texture.
These are best enjoyed the day they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 72.8gProtein: 4gFat: 24.4gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.9gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 148mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 1gSugar: 53.3gVitamin A: 213IUVitamin C: 11.9mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!