Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes; wonderfully nostalgic and easy-to-make strawberry milkshake cupcakes, bursting with sweet strawberry flavour in the cake and the buttercream frosting!
To slurp on after a heavy main course, to quench a thirst on a hot afternoon, to contrast the salty savouriness of a burger and chips, or most recently to pile things upon and re-name a freakshake. Is there any time that a milkshake of some sort isn’t welcome in our lives?
I’ve always leaned more towards stodgy chocolate goods rather than a light, creamy milkshake as a dessert or snack option. My boyfriend however is mad for milkshake at any time of day, so he, along with my nostalgic love of Nesquik, was the inspiration for these sweet little treats.
I tested this recipe on my work colleagues on several occasions until I was happy with it, and the recipe that matches the one before you today was described aptly by one of the office solicitors as “HOLY $H!T” tasty. So yeah, I’d say they went down pretty well!
I write to you today after a marathon baking session. I’ve made Nutella macarons (recipe coming soon), my favourite salted chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, a lemon cake, and Jaffa Cake cupcakes all in one day! One of my workmates requested a whole load of home baking for a party she’s having, so I was happy to oblige but I must admit I’m knackered now, haha!
Anyway, back to these cupcakes. How fluffy and pink and pretty are they??
The fluffy strawberry cakes are lightly rose tinted, and are topped with a lovely baby pink whipped strawberry milkshake buttercream. They are bursting with nostalgic strawberry milkshake flavour, I’d love to bottle up the smell and use it as perfume, it’s just so sweet and tempting!
The flavour comes purely from actual Nesquik milkshake powder. Simply replace the sugar in the cakes and some of the sugar in the buttercream with the milkshake powder and you’ll get wonderful strawberry milkshake cupcakes without faffing around with mushy berries or using sickly artificial flavourings.
To make these little beauties you’ll need to start with the cakes.
Preheat your oven and line a 12-hole or two 6-hole muffin tins with some paper cases. Pink or red look best!
Weigh some butter/margarine, milkshake powder, flour and eggs into a large bowl all at once and beat well until fully combined and smooth.
Add a little pink or red food colouring a little at a time until you reach whichever shade of pink you desire. I went for a fairly bold shade as the colour tends to fade slightly after baking.
Spoon the mixture evenly into your cupcake cases and pop the cupcakes into the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy to touch.
Cool the cakes in their tins for 5-10 minutes before removing them and allowing to cool completely on wire racks while you whip up some icing!
To make the whipped strawberry milkshake buttercream, place some butter and icing sugar into a large bowl and beat well until incorporated.
Add in some more icing sugar, milkshake powder and a small splash of milk (if necessary to loosen) and beat well again until incorporated.
If using, add a little pink food colouring until you reach a nice pale pink colour.
Beat the buttercream vigorously until the mixture has become paler in colour and is light and fluffy. If you are using a food mixer, simply put it on its highest setting with the beater attachment and leave it to whip up for a few minutes. If you’re making the icing by hand, just beat it until it looks a little fluffier!
Spoon your whipped up icing into a piping bag and pipe a big swirl of the buttercream onto your cakes, or just use a knife to spread icing generously onto each one.
Top the strawberry milkshake cupcakes with some sprinkles, paper straws or whatever else you like.
Now reward your efforts by biting into this fluffy wonder, a big old buttercream-on-your-nose bite. Go on, you deserve it!
I hope you love these strawberry milkshake cupcakes as much as I do. Scroll down for the full recipe!
Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes
Wonderfully nostalgic and easy-to-make strawberry milkshake cupcakes, bursting with sweet strawberry flavour!
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: why not try these out with banana or chocolate milkshake powder instead?
These Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes will keep well in an airtight container or on a covered cake stand for up to 4 days - no need to refrigerate unless you live somewhere particularly warm!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 200g (13 tbsp) butter/margarine
- 200g (1 cup) Nesquik strawberry milkshake powder (or any similar brand)
- 200g (1 ½ cups) self-raising flour
- 3 large eggs
- Pink or red food colouring paste (optional)
For the buttercream:
- 250g (16 ½ tbsp) softened unsalted butter
- 250g (1 ⅓ cups) icing sugar
- 150g (¾ cup) Nesquik strawberry milkshake powder
- Pink or red food colouring paste (optional)
- Sprinkles and straws to decorate (optional)
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven – 180 C / 160 C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4 – and line a 12-hole or two 6-hole muffin tins with some paper cases. Pink or red look best!
- Weigh your butter/margarine, milkshake powder, flour and eggs into a large bowl all at once and beat well until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the food colouring a little at a time until you reach whichever shade of pink you desire.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into your cupcake cases and pop the cupcakes into the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy to touch.
- Cool the cakes in their tins for 5-10 minutes before removing them and allowing to cool completely on wire racks.
For the buttercream:
- Place your butter and sift half your icing sugar into a large bowl and beat well until incorporated.
- Add in the remaining sugar, the milkshake powder and a small splash of milk (if necessary to loosen) and beat well again until incorporated.
- If using, add a little pink food colouring until you reach a nice pale pink colour.
- Beat the buttercream vigorously until the mixture has become paler in colour and is light and fluffy. If you are using a food mixer, simply put it on its highest setting with the beater attachment and leave it to whip up for a few minutes. If you’re making the icing by hand, just beat it until it looks a little fluffier!
- Spoon your whipped up icing into a piping bag and pipe a big swirl of the buttercream onto your cakes, or just use a knife to spread icing generously onto each one.
- Top the strawberry milkshake cupcakes with some sprinkles, paper straws or whatever else you like.
- Enjoy!
I Made the buttercream and I found it was grainy even the next day, I tweeked the idea and I mixed the nesquick with some milk, left it overnight and added it to whipped cream, it was amazing with a victoria sponge ! Going to make the nesquick cakes (thought I’d try soaking the nesquick with beaten eggs before mixing in other ingredients) and buttercream tomorrow. Anyone else have grainy buttercream?
I did this cupcakes recipe and OMG! It’s delicious!!!! Thank you very much!
Hi Kelly
Is there no need for milk or Buttermilk in the recipe for the batter?
Was looking for a strawberry nesquik cake and I stumbled apon ur recipe. Thank God to that. I just hope this customer of Mines will love it as they had a bad experience with a strawberry cake last year when they ordered from someone else. Looking forward to making this on Tuesday
Hi Zaahira, that’s right, no need for any milk or buttermilk in the batter. I hope it turns out well for you!
Would one be able to use this recipe for a full on cake as well? My father’s birthday is coming up and I think this would be absolutely perfect. They already look perfect.
Hi Abigail – thanks for your email and apologies for the delay in replying! Yes this recipe and the quantities in it would be ideal to make a 6″ two-sponge cake! I’d recommend the baking time perhaps being closer to the 30 minute mark if you do so. I hope you love it if you try!
Oh my god these look so amazing, you are so talented! Damn you anyway I am so hungry now having seen these pictures haha. I am so glad I stumbled across your blog, it is really lovely and I hope you keep up your amazing work! x
adelelydia.blogspot.com
Aw thank you so much! These have been really popular whenever I’ve made them, and I keep telling everyone how easy they are too! So glad you stumbled across the blog, I’ll be sure to have a look at yours 🙂
Hi. Do the cupcakes not need caster sugar in as well as the nesquik powder? Does that make them sweet enough? Thanks.
The Nesquik powder will absolutely make them sweet enough!
these are so pretty! best shade of pink ever ? and i love the little straws you added!
Aw thank you! Baby pink makes everything better!