Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes

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These Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes are cupcake perfection! They are moist, light and fluffy. Our secret ingredient is yogurt. Topped with strawberry frosting, these cupcakes would make a wonderful Valentine’s treat or Mother’s Day dessert. But don’t wait for a special occasion – they’re so delicious you will want to make them right away.

Cupcakes are a huge favorite around here. Perfectly sized, they’re just the right treat on a holiday or to add sweetness to any regular day of the week.

This yogurt cupcake recipe doesn’t use milk or buttermilk – the moistness comes from rich, creamy yogurt. The frosting recipe is a sweet American buttercream with real strawberries blended into it. So delicious!

These Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes were inspired by my moist Vanilla Cupcakes. The Frosting was inspired by my Homemade Strawberry Frosting with Real Strawberries.

If you love strawberry desserts, like I do, be sure to also try my Strawberry Shortcake Cake and my Fresh Strawberry Cake.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• All Purpose Flour: No need for cake flour here, all purpose flour will give you the results you want!
• Butter: Unsalted sweet cream butter is what I tested the recipe with and it’s fantastic.
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar for sweetness.
• Eggs: The eggs help hold the cupcakes together as well as add richness.
• Vanilla: I used homemade vanilla extract but any high-quality pure vanilla will work. Vanilla bean paste is also a great option if you want more flavor.
• Leavening: Baking powder is used in the recipe so the cupcakes rise tall and fluffy.
• Salt: Just a little salt is added to balance the flavors.
• Yogurt: This is key! Use whole-milk yogurt here. Greek will be too thick, and low fat or fat free yogurt won’t give you quite the same consistency.

For the Frosting:

• Strawberry puree: Make your own with fresh or frozen strawberries and a food processor.
• Butter: Once again, use unsalted sweet cream butter here too.
• Salt: Just a pinch is all you need.
• Confectioners’ sugar: For the perfect consistency.

Recommended tools

To make these Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting you will need:

• Muffin Pan: This recipe yields 12 cupcakes so you’ll need a regular muffin pan lined with cupcake liners.
• Mixing Bowl: These Pyrex glass bowls are my favorite.
• Mixer: A stand mixer is what I use most but a handheld electric mixer will also work just fine.
• Food Processor: I have this food processor, but you can also use a high powered blender.

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How to Make Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes

It’s very easy to make these homemade vanilla yogurt cupcakes from scratch. It takes just a few minutes to whip up the batter and they bake in about 20- 25 minutes. It’s a little longer cooking time than other cupcakes because of the extra liquid from the yogurt.

1. Get ready to bake – turn on the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add in the vanilla.
5. Add half the flour mixture and beat until just combined, then add the yogurt and mix until almost combined before adding the rest of the flour mixture.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake. Let cool before frosting.

To make the frosting

The frosting is a simple American buttercream with a few small adjustments so it’s creamy and fruity. The butter should be at room temperature but not too soft – take it out of the refrigerator when you are cooking the puree.

1. Make strawberry puree by blending fresh or frozen and thawed berries in a food processor.
2. Cook strawberry puree over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2-3 tablespoons. Cool the puree.
3. Blend the butter until creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the salt and the confectioners’ sugar in two increments until fully incorporated and fluffy.
5. Add the cooled puree and beat until fully mixed.
6. When the cupcakes are fully cooled, frost them using a pastry bag with a frosting tip and garnish with fresh strawberry slices.

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Recipe FAQs

Storage & Freezing

1. Cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days stored in the refrigerator.
2. Unfrosted cupcakes can be made one day in advance, then covered and stored at room temperature.
3. The frosting can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
4. Frosted and unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.