Nesquik Buttercream Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

These Nesquik Buttercream Cupcakes are pure nostalgic magic — chocolate cake topped with the creamiest, dreamiest chocolate milkshake-inspired frosting you’ve ever tasted. Be still my heart! 🍫🥛

Okay, can we talk about Nesquik for a second?! I am absolutely, unashamedly addicted to it. Always have been, you guys. We were practically raised on the stuff — and honestly? I have zero regrets. One of my all-time favorite nostalgic meals is a good PB&J with a tall, creamy glass of strawberry milk or chocolate Nesquik on the side. It’s giving childhood comfort vibes and I am HERE for it. So when I started experimenting with using that beloved milkshake powder in a buttercream frosting, I knew these Nesquik Buttercream Cupcakes were going to be something truly special. Chocolate milk on chocolate cake. All is right in the world. 🙌

Why Nesquik Buttercream Cupcakes Are Absolutely Everything

So here’s the thing — there are a million buttercream frosting recipes out there, but this one uses Nesquik powder as its secret ingredient and honestly it’s my new secret weapon in the kitchen. We’re not using fresh fruit, no pudding mix, no complicated swiss meringue buttercream situation with egg whites — just that classic, silky-smooth shortening-based butter cream that pipes like an absolute dream. From a blogger standpoint, I’ve made a LOT of frostings, and this one gets requested more than almost any other. It delivers tons of creamy, chocolatey milkshake-y flavor in every single bite. Less dessert fuss, more dessert joy — that’s my motto! If you love things strawberry too, you have to check out my Angel Food Cake Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream — equally dreamy! 💕

The Nesquik Secret Ingredient — Can We Talk About This?!

Okay, I literally can’t even stress enough how genius this is. Using Nesquik — yes, the milkshake powder from your childhood — as the flavoring base in a buttercream frosting is HIGH TIME we all started doing this. It dissolves beautifully into the milk mixture, giving you this perfectly smooth, lump-free frosting with zero wet spots and absolutely zero soggy texture. No heavy cream required, no separate bowl of complicated reductions. Just simple, foolproof, ah-mazing results every single time. From a diet standpoint, I’m not going to pretend this is a light snack — but some things are just worth it, and these sweet little cupcakes are 100% one of those things. Weight Watchers would probably not approve, but your taste buds absolutely will! 😂

Making the Cupcake Base — Your Basic Cupcake Recipe

For the cupcake base, I went with a classic chocolate cupcake because — duh — chocolate milk on chocolate cake is just perfection. You can absolutely use a box-mix of chocolate cake if that’s your jam (no judgment here, friends!), or go from scratch using plain flour, vegetable oil, and wet ingredients you probably already have on hand. Either way, line your cupcake liners in the pan, mix your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then add your wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine, then bump up to medium speed until smooth. I love this as a basic cupcake recipe because it works beautifully in small batches too — perfect if you just need a couple of valentine’s day treats or a small amount for the week ahead. For more classic small batch recipes, my Classic Vanilla Cupcakes from Scratch are also a total must-make! 🧁

How to Make the Nesquik Buttercream Frosting

Alright, here’s where the magic really happens! This buttercream frosting comes together so fast it’ll make your head spin — in the best way. Start by whisking 1 cup of shortening (plain, not butter-flavored!) in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until it’s totally smooth. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and whisk again. Then, in a separate bowl, mix together your 1/2 cup Nesquik with 6 tbsp milk (I used whole) until the milkshake powder is fully dissolved — this is your milk mixture! Pour that into your large bowl with the softened butter-ish base, whisk until smooth, then gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar — up to 5 cups total — mixing between additions until you hit that dreamy frosting consistency. Finish with 1 tsp vanilla extract (or tsp vanilla essence if that’s what you’ve got). Transfer to a piping bag and frost those beautiful babies! 🎉

Tips for Perfect Nesquik Buttercream Cupcakes Every Time

A few quick tips to make sure your batch of these sweet strawberry milkshake cupcakes — or the chocolate version! — turns out flawlessly. First, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you start, especially if you ever swap the shortening for softened butter or cup margarine (you can cream margarine instead, it works!). Always let your cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting, because warm cupcakes + buttercream = a melty mess, and nobody wants that. If you want to try small batch strawberry milkshake cupcakes today, just swap in strawberry Nesquik — hello, strawberry milkshake buttercream in cupcake form! You could also experiment with strawberry milk powder or even a splash of strawberry Nesquick — same dreamy concept. Use cup icing sugar as your measure and taste as you go. And don’t forget: let your cupcakes cool fully on that wire rack before they go into any cupcake form for display! 🌸

The Strawberry Milk Version — A Perfectly Sweet Berry Flavor

Okay so I mentioned this above but I have to give the strawberry version its own little moment because — WOW. If you swap out the chocolate Nesquik for strawberry milk powder (yes, tbsp Nesquik of the pink variety!), you get this gorgeous, perfectly sweet berry flavor with the most beautiful pink color that is honestly so dreamy for Valentine’s Day or a spring party. We’re talking a strawberry milkshake buttercream that rivals any fussy strawberry buttercream or strawberry frosting recipe you’ve ever tried — and it’s SO much simpler. No use of actual strawberries required, no fresh fruit to break down, no worrying about excess moisture. If you love all things strawberry, you could also try a strawberry milk cupcake recipe using a box-mix of strawberry cake as your base — it’s like drinking a creamy glass of strawberry milk in cupcake form! For even more strawberry inspo, my Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is another absolute winner. 🍓💕

Fun Variations and Occasions for These Cupcakes

These little babies are honestly one of the more perfect treats for SO many occasions! Valentine’s Day is an obvious one — a couple of valentine’s day batches of these sweet little cupcakes alongside my 3 Cute & Easy Valentine’s Day Cupcakes and you’ve got yourself a full dessert table, friends. But honestly they work for birthdays, school parties, bake sales — you name it! I’ve also been daydreaming about piping this Nesquik frosting on adorable chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes for a fancier occasion — can you even imagine?! If you’re into a new cookbook project or building out your classic small batch recipes collection, this particular recipe absolutely belongs in it. Oh, and if you want to explore more fun cupcake ideas, my Flower Patch Cupcakes are so cute and perfect for gifting! 🌸🎂

How to Store These Sweet Cupcakes

Once you’ve frosted your beautiful cupcakes, you’ll want to store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days — the shortening-based frosting holds up really well! If your kitchen is super warm, pop them in the fridge, but let them come back to room temperature before serving so the frosting is perfectly creamy again. These are also great for making ahead in small batches — just bake and cool on the wire rack, then frost right before your event. I’m not going to pretend there’s ever much left to store because these disappear SO fast every single time! 😂 Whether you’re making a full batch or trying small batch vanilla cupcakes with this frosting swapped in, this is the kind of bag of bones recipe that just works, every single time, without fail. Have to make this ASAP? YES. Yes you do. Go make a batch of these sweet strawberry milkshake cupcakes today — or the chocolate version, or honestly both — and report back! 🧁✨

Nesquik Buttercream Recipe

Yield: 3 Cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

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This Nesquik Buttercream is a rich, chocolatey frosting made with classic Nesquik chocolate powder for a fun and nostalgic flavor. It's perfectly smooth, easy to make, and ideal for frosting cakes, cupcakes, or any baked treat you love.

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Ingredients

• 1 c. shortening (don't use butter flavored)
• 5 c. powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp. milk (I used whole)
• 1/2 c. Nesquik
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

1. Whisk the shortening in a stand mixer until smooth.
2. Add in 1 cup powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the Nesquik and the milk until Nesquik is dissolved. Pour into the stand mixer bowl and whisk until smooth.
4. Add remaining powdered sugar gradually, whisking in between additions, until you've reached desired frosting consistency.
5. Whisk in vanilla.

Notes

Do not use butter-flavored shortening, as it can alter the flavor of the frosting. Whole milk is recommended for the creamiest consistency. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar to achieve your desired frosting thickness.