Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar Cupcakes
Inspired by the famous Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bar, these jam-filled cupcakes with German buttercream are a perfect hit of strawberry nostalgia.
Nothing screams ‘summer’ more than ice cream, so I decided to recreate one of my childhood favorites in cupcake form! Tracking it down for reference was not easy, but I managed to get my hands on some and realized there were a lot of elements to translate: from the coating of cake crumbs, to the strawberry centers, to even the popsicle stick itself.
Servings: 12 cupcakes | Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Heavy-bottomed saucepans
Fine-mesh sieve
Plastic wrap
Masher
Thermometer
Cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Wire cooling racks
Hand-mixer / Stand-mixer
Piping bags
Baking sheets
Popsicle stick (for reference)
Pastry Cream for German Buttercream:
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ cup cornstarch
⅔ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
Strawberry Jam Filling:
1 lb. fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
White Cupcakes:
6 tbsp butter, room temp
¾ cup sugar
6 tbsp sour cream
1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
3 large egg whites
1 ¼ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp water
White Crumb Topping:
½ cup dry milk powder
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, melted
Strawberry Crumb Topping:
⅔ cup flour
1 tsp cornstarch
½ cup sugar
⅔ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, melted
Shortbread Popsicle Sticks:
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup powdered sugar
⅔ cup butter, cold
German Buttercream:
Pastry cream, room temp
2 cups butter, room temp
Powdered sugar, to taste
Vanilla, to taste
2 to 3 tsp freeze-dried strawberry powder, to taste
Pink food coloring
Pastry Cream (15 minutes)
Place 1 ½ cups milk and the vanilla into a medium saucepan.
Cook over high heat, stirring often until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk remaining ½ cup milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
While whisking vigorously, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.
Return mixture to saucepan and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil.
Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and into a bowl.
Place plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
Cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator for a couple hours to set. Do not freeze.
Strawberry Jam Filling (45 minutes)
Wash, hull, and quarter the strawberries.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Mash together until mixture is relatively smooth.
Stir over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then increase the heat and bring it to a rolling boil.
Cook the mixture until it reaches 220°F, stirring frequently, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, skim off any foam with a slotted spoon, and let cool until thickened.
White Cupcakes (10 minutes prep + 15 to 17 minutes baking)
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Add egg whites one at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed in. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a measuring cup, combine the milk and water. Set aside.
Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until well combined.
Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Transfer the batter to the cupcake pan, filling each liner about halfway. (My preferred method is to use a large cookie scoop with a trigger, that holds about ¼ cup.)
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
White Crumb Topping (5 minutes prep + 30 minutes baking)
Preheat oven to 250° F.
In a small bowl, combine milk powder, flour, cornstarch, and sugar.
Add melted butter and stir until a crumb forms.
Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 30 min, or until dry. Set aside.
Strawberry Crumb Topping (5 minutes prep + 20 minutes baking)
Increase oven temperature to 300° F.
In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and freeze-dried strawberry powder.
Add melted butter and stir until a crumb forms.
Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 mins, or until dry.
Shortbread Popsicle Sticks (20 minutes prep + 15 to 18 minutes baking)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar.
Cube the butter and toss with the flour mixture so they are fully coated.
Using your fingers, pinch the butter into flakes and combine with the flour, until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Gently knead into a ball (mixture may appear crumbly at first).
On a lightly floured surface roll dough to a 12” x 5” rectangle.
Using a knife, cut the dough into popsicle stick shapes using a popsicle stick as a guide.
Arrange sticks ½ inch apart on two ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
German Buttercream (30 minutes)
Make sure your pastry cream and butter are both room temperature.
Whisk the pastry cream by hand until smooth and set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, beat the butter on high until pale and fluffy, about 3 mins.
Add the pastry cream 1 tbsp at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
Taste and add powdered sugar or more vanilla, if desired.
Beat on high for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
Transfer ¼ of the frosting into a medium bowl and add the freeze-dried strawberry powder to it (and pink food coloring, if necessary). Mix until incorporated.
Place frostings into two separate piping bags.
Assembly (30 minutes)
Using a small knife, core a small cavity in the center of the cupcakes that reaches about halfway down the cupcake (do not go all the way through to the bottom). Scoop out the cored centers with a spoon and discard (or eat them all, I won’t tell).
Transfer the cooled strawberry jam to a small piping bag and pipe jam filling into the cupcake centers all the way to the top.
Pipe a small swirl of the pink strawberry buttercream on top of each of the jam centers.
Finish frosting the cupcakes with the white buttercream, piping around the pink frosting so it is completely hidden.
Mix the white crumb topping and strawberry crumb topping together in a bowl, breaking into smaller crumbs if necessary, and sprinkle onto the frosted cupcakes.
Carefully break the shortbread popsicle sticks into whatever length you prefer and stick one into the frosting of each cupcake, at an angle, to decorate.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade