Strawberry Yogurt Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

These Strawberry Cupcakes are made with delicious yogurt. As a result, they are beautifully light and fluffy! Topped with strawberry buttercream, they are the perfect treat for Valentine's Day. 

Jump to Recipe

Ah Valentine's day. The day dedicated to the ones we love. Valentine's day really hasn't been a big celebration in our house. I remember being in 1st or 2nd grade and a boy gave me a stuffed teddy bear for Valentine's Day. My Mom made a huge stink and told me to return it. She even went as far as to call the boy's mother, to tell her that it wasn't OK for this boy to be giving me a stuffed bear, and that we were too young to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Thankfully I wasn't old enough to be embarrassed, but I sure was upset that I couldn't keep the teddy bear, LOL.

Now that I'm grown Valentine's Day still isn't that big of a deal. I make it a point to tell and show my SO and my kids how much I love them every day. We don't need a certain day to do it. I do however love all the super cute and fun Valentine's recipes that float around on the internet. I try to make a few fun and yummy Valentine's day treats for the kids, just to make it a little more fun.

This year I wanted to make my Mom's cherry cupcakes.  She usually makes them for Christmas and they are some of my favourites. However, I was out of cherries, so decided to make vanilla sour cream cupcakes instead. I started to gather all my ingredients, to get to work, only to realize we were out of sour cream! I decided to go with strawberry yogurt instead. I added a bit of red food colouring to the batter, to make them pink. For the frosting I went with a simple buttercream, which I flavoured with strawberry jam. It brings a nice burst of flavour to the cupcakes.

What does Yogurt do to Cupcakes?

The tangy creaminess of yogurt helps keep cakes and cupcakes moist. The acidity helps activate the leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda), which leads to a light and fluffy batter.

What can Yogurt replace in Baking?

Yogurt can be used to replace sour cream, butter milk, and fat (oil) in baking. Keep in mind that yogurt has a tanginess, which may alter the sweetness of your baked good.

Can I bake with out of date Yogurt?

Yes! Baking with out of date yogurt is a great way to reduce food waste. The good bacteria in yogurt, ensures that it can still be used past it's best before date.

PIN IT!!

Equipment needed for this recipe

• 12 count muffin tin
• cupcake liners
• mixing bowls (3)
• microwave safe bowl
• flour sifter, or mesh sieve
• mixer
• rubber spatula
• measuring cups for both dry and wet measures
• measuring spoons
• piping bag (2) or disposable zip top bags

Strawberry Yogurt Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

1 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
10 drops red food colouring
1/2 C (or two 100g containers) strawberry yogurt
2 oz ( 8 small squares) 70% dark Baker's chocolate
red sprinkle jimmies

Frosting
1/3 C butter
3-4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs strawberry jam (I used an all fruit variety)
2 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and red food colouring. Slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients, followed by the yogurt and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; Do not overmix.

Scoop 1/4 C of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 17-20 minutes; until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from tin and let cool to room temperature.

While cupcakes bake, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, using 30 second increments. Pour the chocolate into a piping bag with a #2 tip. Pipe 1 inch hearts onto parchment paper and sprinkle with red jimmies. Place in the refrigerator to set.

Once cupcakes are cooled, cream the butter in a clean mixing bowl, until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, 1 C at a time, until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and strawberry jam. Add in 2 Tbs of milk, and beat until fluffy.

Scoop frosting into a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with chocolate hearts.