strawberry shortcake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients You’ll Need:

4 tbsp. (56g) softened unsalted butter or ghee
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (133g) sweetener (xylitol, allulose, Swerve confectioners)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 cup (240g) sour cream, room temperature 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup (96g) almond flour 1/4 cup (30g) coconut flour 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt

Frosting

4 tbsp. (57g) butter or ghee, room temp
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1/4–1/2 cup (25-50g) Swerve confectioners 1 tsp. vanilla

Strawberries

3–4 cups finely diced strawberries

How to make strawberry shortcake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
Add almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a small bowl. Whisk. Set aside.
Cream butter and sweetener with a mixer for 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix on medium speed.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and put in the oven.
Cook cupcakes for 25-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool once they’re out of the oven before frosting.
Frosting:
Add the butter, cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
Strawberries: Finely dice (or pulse 3 or 4 times in a food processor) the strawberries. Taste and add a little more sweetener if necessary.
To assemble, Spread a small amount of frosting on the top of each cooled cupcake.
Pipe a circle of frosting around the outside of cupcake.
Fill the center with a teaspoon or two of the strawberry filling.
Instead of piping, spread a generous amount of butter cream on each cupcake. Place approx. 2 tbsp. of strawberries on top (or on the side) of the cupcakes as you plate them.

Experience the tastes and flavors of summer with these strawberry shortcake cupcakes. This recipe is a fun twist on the classic strawberry shortcake recipe.

Enjoy the harmony of a pillowy, soft-crumb, vanilla-flavored cupcake with ripe, juicy strawberries surrounded by lusciously rich, sweet and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting.

Often times, cupcakes are made with heavily processed ingredients which are high in sugar, fat and empty calories. Alternatively, these low-carb, low-sugar cupcakes include protein, healthy fats, fiber and other nutrients which will keep you satisfied longer. I’ve also included dairy-free options.

how to make strawberry shortcake cupcakes

the cupcakes

You’ll start by creaming the butter and sweetener. Only do this for 1-2 minutes (read tips below to understand why). You can substitute ghee for butter.

For the sweetener, I use allulose but you can use your favorite erythritol (like Swerve or Lakanto) or xylitol. I use low-carb sweeteners in all of my recipes. If these are new to you, Wholesome Yum has a great post explaining the differences between sweeteners.

the cream cheese frosting

This cream cheese frosting is eeeasy! You can substitute with a dairy-free cream cheese. I use Kite Hill cream cheese and ghee for a dairy free alternative.

You also have options for the sweetener. I use Swerve powdered (any powdered sweetener will do). If you don’t have powdered or confectioners, you can use a coffee grinder or dry food processor to powder granular sweeteners. Regular confectioners sugar would work too.

the strawberries

You can dice the strawberries with a knife or add them to a food processor and pulse. It only takes 3 or 4 pulses – you don’t want them too liquidy.

I didn’t add sugar or sweetener in the recipe because the strawberries were sweet enough on their own. Taste, and if they should be sweeter to you, add a teaspoon or 2 of sweetener, sugar or honey.

close up of strawberry cupcake with berries

tips for making strawberry shortcake cupcakes

There are a couple of important tips to get the perfect crumb with these vanilla cupcakes, especially because almond flour can make cupcakes dense.

Most important is not to “over-beat” or over-cream the batter. This creates too much air so the cupcakes will rise in the oven and then deflate while cooling. As they deflate, they’ll become dense. For best results, cream butter and sweetener for 1-2 minutes max.

Another tip is to use room temperature wet ingredients (butter, eggs, sour cream). Room temperature ingredients will bond together more quickly so you’re less likely to over-cream.

Lastly, make sure you whisk or use a fork when mixing the dry ingredients to remove any clumps.

how to serve strawberry shortcake cupcakes

You have a couple of options for assembling and serving the strawberry shortcake cupcakes.

If you’re going to pipe the frosting, first, spread a small amount of frosting on the top of each cooled cupcake, like a mini crumb coat. This will keep the strawberry juices from soaking into the cupcake. Then pipe a circle of buttercream around the outside of each cupcake.

Fill the center with a teaspoon or two of the strawberry filling. I like to add a spoonful of strawberries to the plate or drizzle extra strawberries on top (you can never have too many strawberries)!

You can also spread the frosting on each cupcake and then drizzle the strawberries over top when serving.

are strawberry shortcake cupcakes keto?

Yes, all of the ingredients are keto-friendly if you follow the recipe suggestions, especially with low-carb sweetener recommendations. Strawberries are keto-approved in moderation.

are strawberry shortcake cupcakes dairy-free?

Yes, in fact that’s how I make the cupcakes around here. I substitute with ghee, vegan sour cream and vegan cream cheese. Check out the notes section of the recipe card for brand suggestions.

I like to make my own ghee rather than buy it. I’ll make a large batch every month or so and store in in jars in the fridge and freezer. It’s a lot less expensive this way. It’s very easy to do – here’s a great step-by-step tutorial on it.

other keto desserts you’ll love:

Lastly, if you make these strawberry shortcake cupcakes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Recipe adapted from Chocolate with Grace.