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.
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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.
Vanilla Yogurt Cupcake Recipe Details
- Taste – The cupcakes are light and buttery with sweet vanilla flavor. The frosting is remeniscent of biting into a fresh summer ripened strawberry.
- Texture – You’ll find the cupcakes to be moist with a open an airy crumb.
- Ease – While there are two components, the hardes part is waiting for the cupcakes to cool so you can frost and eat them!
- Time – The cupcakes take about 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes to cook. The frosing also takes around 10 minutes to prep. The berries for the frosting requires cooking and cooling. Overall time is about 1 hour.
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.
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.
- Get ready to bake – turn on the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add in the vanilla.
- 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.
- 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.
- Make strawberry puree by blending fresh or frozen and thawed berries in a food processor.
- Cook strawberry puree over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2-3 tablespoons. Cool the puree.
- Blend the butter until creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and the confectioners’ sugar in two increments until fully incorporated and fluffy.
- Add the cooled puree and beat until fully mixed.
- When the cupcakes are fully cooled, frost them using a pastry bag with a frosting tip and garnish with fresh strawberry slices.
Tips For Success
- Make sure to properly measure the flour. Using weighted measurements helps with consistency in baking.
- The yogurt should be regular whole-milk yogurt for the best consistency results. Greek yogurt is too thick and low -fat is too thin.
- The butter used for the frosting should be just at room temperature but not too soft. If it is too soft (it should be cool to the touch but not oily) it will be far too soft when the puree is added, and hard to frost with.
- Set the eggs and butter for the cupcakes out at room temperature about an hour before you start cooking. These ingredients will combine better if they are at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
You can make this using about 8 ounces of fresh or frozen/ thawed strawberries. Pulse in a food processor or high-powered blender until mostly pureed while some specks of berries are still visible. If you don’t have strawberries, you can use strawberry jam as a substitute, but fresh strawberries are preferable.
Check them after 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only a few crumbs attached. This is how you know the cupcakes are perfectly baked. Remember to adjust your baking time if you use a convection oven.
Storage & Freezing
- Cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days stored in the refrigerator.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be made one day in advance, then covered and stored at room temperature.
- The frosting can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Frosted and unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened & cut into pieces
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (151 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature
For the frosting
- ½ cup (120 ml) strawberry puree
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- pinch salt
- 3 cups (360 g) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add half the flour mixture and mix at low speed until almost combined. Add the yogurt and continue to mix until almost combined. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. While cupcakes are baking, begin preparing the strawberries for the frosting – see instructions below.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting
- Add strawberry puree to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the puree has reduced to 2-3 tablespoons.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Allow the puree to cool completely, stirring every so often.
- Once the puree has cooled, add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a large bowl using an electric hand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the salt and half the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed just until the sugar has fully moistened, then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed just until the sugar has fully moistened, then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the puree and beat at medium-low speed until fully mixed in.
Notes
- Flour: Properly measure the flour. I highly recommend using weight measurements.
- Yogurt: Be sure to use regular yogurt and not Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is too thick for this recipe. For added vanilla flavor, use vanilla yogurt. Choose whole-milk yogurt as nonfat yogurt will not yield the best results.
- Strawberry puree: This can be made with fresh or frozen and thawed strawberries. Pulse a handful in a food processor until mostly pureed while some specks of strawberry are still visible. I used about 8-ounces of whole strawberries.
- Butter for frosting: Use room temperature but not oily butter. If the butter sits at room temperature too long it will become too soft and oily. This will cause the frosting to be too soft once the puree is added. Set the butter out as the puree in cooling in step 2. Then once the puree has cooled completely, the butter should be soft but still cool to the touch and not oily. This is the perfect time to begin making the buttercream.
- Cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days stored in the refrigerator.
- The plain cupcake can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and store at room temperature.
- The frosting can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, bring to room temperature.
- Both frosted and unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Hi Jen! I just made a batch and this is the best cake recipe I ever made! Thank you for sharing it!
Im eating them hot with some homemade strawberry jelly here in Brazil!
This cake really really really looks great but I’m scared the sugar is a bit much, I haven’t tried it yet
This cake really really really looks great but I’m scared the sugar is a bit much, I haven’t tried it yet
I made this recipe and used your basic vanilla frosting. But it didn’t matter, these cupcakes were hands down the best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever tasted. Thank you thank you for using the yogurt because my family feels “healthy” eating them! I also halved this recipe the second time I made them for 6 cupcakes. I can’t believe I can taste such moist goodness. I’m a beiginner baker, but your recipes make me feel like a pro. And the tastes are out of the world. I think I’m going to have to whip up another batch very soon.
I made this recipe and used your basic vanilla frosting. But it didn’t matter, these cupcakes were hands down the best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever tasted. Thank you thank you for using the yogurt because my family feels “healthy” eating them! I also halved this recipe the second time I made them for 6 cupcakes. I can’t believe I can taste such moist goodness. I’m a beiginner baker, but your recipes make me feel like a pro. And the tastes are out of the world. I think I’m going to have to whip up another batch very soon.
I ran across your blog for the first time today…and I LOVE YOUR wonderful recipes!!! I love cakes and you have sooo many yummy minimum ingredient icing recipes….I’ve gained 5 lbs just reading and looking at them; but I don’t care, they’re yummy delicious!
I ran across your blog for the first time today…and I LOVE YOUR wonderful recipes!!! I love cakes and you have sooo many yummy minimum ingredient icing recipes….I’ve gained 5 lbs just reading and looking at them; but I don’t care, they’re yummy delicious!
I made these cupcakes and they were delicious ! Could this recipe be also made into an 8 inch cake ?
Sure, you could make them into a cake. It would only be one layer since this recipe makes half as much batter as your typical cake recipes. Just adjust the cooking time. I’m thinking you may need to add 5 minutes or so. I haven’t tested it this way so I can give you a definite time frame. But stay close and check it periodically for doneness. By the way, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes. It’s one of my favorite recipes!
GORGEOUS! They are the perfect little cupcake!
Thank you for the kind words, Amber!
These look so perfect! Strawberry and vanilla go so perfectly together too, need to try these 🙂
Thanks, Annie! You will love them!