Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Bake the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin tins with cupcake liners, so they’re ready to fill right away.
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined, with no dry pockets remaining.
- Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale and slightly thick, about 2-3 minutes, then stir in whole milk and vanilla extract.
- Fold the flour mixture into the yolk mixture just until no streaks of flour are visible.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter to keep it airy.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Soak and chill
- Immediately after removing cupcakes from the oven, pierce each cupcake several times with a toothpick to create channels for soaking.
- Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream until smooth, then pour evenly over the warm cupcakes so the liquid absorbs.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours so the crumb fully sets and turns moist.
Top and serve
- Before serving, beat heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form for stable, pipeable clouds.
- Pipe whipped cream onto cupcakes and garnish with fresh strawberries for a bright, fresh finish.
Notes
For the most noticeable three-milk soak, pour the milk mixture over the cupcakes while they’re still warm and keep piercing the top so liquid reaches the center; if any pooling happens, it will absorb during cooling. Refrigerate cupcakes (covered) for up to 3 days; do not add whipped cream until serving for best texture. Freezing is not recommended because the soaked crumb and whipped topping can change after thawing. If you need a lighter option, swap to half-and-half-style dairy and a lower-sugar whipped topping, but the classic rich soak will be less pronounced.