In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped strawberries and lemon juice and bring to a simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to lightly simmer until the strawberry bits are soft and resemble jam. It should stick to your wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.
Allow the strawberry mixture to cool completely before starting your buttercream.
Place your softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
Add in 3 tablespoons of the cooled strawberry mixture and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
Add your powdered sugar in, one cup at a time, and mix on low speed until all of the sugar has been added.
Add in the heavy cream and salt, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes to thicken and fluff the buttercream.
Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a Wilton 2D piping tip (or your preference) and pipe onto each cooled cupcake.
Top with small fresh strawberries if desired!