Strawberry-Filled Cardamom Cupcakes Recipe
As a chocolate advocate, my idea of a sweet treat is far from anything fruity or pink. But after devouring more than a few of these light cakes filled with fresh strawberry sauce and topped with a tangy strawberry–cream cheese frosting, I can say this dainty dessert is fit for little girls and boys, grown women, and burly dudes alike.
Game plan: You will need to use paper cupcake liners, or the jam will stick to the inside of the muffin wells no matter how thoroughly you butter them!
If your oven is too small to fit 2 (12-well) muffin pans side by side, you can arrange the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bake as directed, rotating the pans between the racks halfway through the cooking time. You also may need to bake the cupcakes 1 or 2 minutes longer.
This recipe was featured as part of our Summer Solstice menu.
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Chunky Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper cupcake liners; set aside.
- Place the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light in color and airy, about 3 minutes.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, add the egg whites 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Next add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- On low speed, slowly add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined (the mixture will look curdled). Add the reserved flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 15 seconds.
- Fill each muffin well about three-quarters full. Using a spoon, create a small indentation in the batter by slightly spreading it from the middle out toward the edges. Measure 1 heaping teaspoon of the strawberry sauce and place the back of the teaspoon inside the indentation. Rotate the spoon, letting the sauce slide into the indentation. Repeat in each well.
- Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set the pans on wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely on the wire racks before frosting.

I, too, added a bit more cardamom and thought these cupcakes were fabulous! I wish I had read the reviews first regarding the filling as mine sunk to the bottom as well, but no matter. Instead of the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting I made Classic Strawberry Buttercream from The Cake Bible and it complemented the cupcakes perfectly.
I just tried these ( taking the hint to double the amt. of cardamom powder, since I adore anything with cardamom in it). They are so, so good! I filled my cupcakes after baking & cooling, using a Wilton cake-tip with a largish round opening. Worked great. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
I agree with aliboo. The cardamom didn’t come through the first time, so I doubled it the next batch. And my frosting was so runny - I had used very ripe strawberries - I called it a “glaze.” I also had problems with the filling that no one has mentioned. I made a well in the batter like the instructions said, but it came out as a layer of strawberry on the bottom of the cupcake. I ended up baking the cupcakes plain and then filling them with the strawberry filling - using a piping bag - while still hot and left them to cool as normal. The frosting/glaze covered the hole. Overall, this is a great cupcake. Now that I’ve worked out the kinks, I definitely plan to make these again.
Could you fill the cupcakes with the strawberry (either sauce or frosting) after cooking and cooling the cupcakes?
Comment I'm actually going to print this one out...
wow! just made these and they were absolutely awsome. They are light and sweet but I couldn't taste the cardamon at all so I would probably put more next time. The frosting is nice as well but does tend to get runny.But all in all great recipe Thanks :)
omg, this sounds soooooo delectable!