Step 1
Place strawberries in a medium bowl. Cover with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
Step 3
Mash strawberry and sugar mixture with a potato masher or pulse gently in the bowl of a food processor until strawberries are chunky. Strain strawberries over a bowl reserving juice.
Step 4
Whisk flour baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
Step 5
Beat butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale yellow and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing for about 1 minute after each egg and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in vanilla extract and strawberry extract.
Step 6
Add flour mixture in 2 batches alternating with the milk blending well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Step 7
Fold in strawberries and 5 tablespoons strawberry juice with a wooden spoon until well incorporated and you can see bits of strawberry showing throughout the batter. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Step 8
Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the cupcakes are a lovely golden color and they spring back when pressed about 18 minutes.
Step 9
Cool in muffin cups for 5 minutes. Remove from tins and finish cooling on a wire rack about 30 minutes.
Step 9
While the cupcakes are cooling combine powdered sugar butter milk lemon zest lemon juice and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer; whip until creamy.