Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes – moist lemon cupcakes paired with fresh strawberry buttercream for the perfect combination of sour and sweet. A new cupcake recipe by our contributor, Lauren Kapeluck of EllenJay Events.
When I think of summer, bright yellow lemons and sipping on a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade come to mind. I am a huge fan of lemons, and really all things sour. As a kid I can remember spending summer days at our local pool and every afternoon I would visit the concession stand to order a frozen lemonade and a box of lemonheads to satisfy my sour cravings. Still to this day I have those same cravings and welcome all things citrus and tangy during the hot summer months! So with lemonade as the inspiration, I have created a Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake that I think you are going to love!
Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes are the perfect combination of both sour and sweet. The moist lemony cake provides a nice tang, while the strawberry buttercream provides a touch of sweetness to balance out the flavors. Not to mention I am loving the yellow and pink color combination of the cake and the icing, so fresh and fun!
And for extra cuteness, why not display these cupcakes in a jar embellished with a straw to mimic sipping lemonade from a mason jar! These triple layered cupcakes are the perfect portable treats for an afternoon picnic or would make adorable favors at a shower or birthday party. If you don’t want to fuss with assembling these cakes in jars no big deal, they are just as cute served as traditional cupcakes with a swirl of icing and topped with a lemon drop!
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes – moist lemon cupcakes paired with fresh strawberry buttercream for the perfect combination of sour and sweet.
- Yield: 24 cupcakes or 16 cupcakes in a jar
- Category: ✽ ✽ ✽
Ingredients
For the Lemonade Cupcakes:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lemonade powder mix (I used Country Time)
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- lemonheads (optional)
For the Strawberry Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (from about 3-4 strawberries)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners
- In medium bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lemonade powder and lemon zest, set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium-high using the paddle attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating starting and ending with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Strawberry Frosting:
- In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter for 1-2 minutes using the paddle attachment.
- Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and continue mixing scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Mix in strawberry puree and lemon zest.
- Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with open star piping tip to decorate the cooled cupcakes.
To Create a Cupcake In a Jar:
- Slice cupcake in half with serrated knife. You will need one and a half cupcakes (3 pieces) for each jar.
- Place half a cupcake in the bottom of the jar and add a dollop of icing on top. Repeat two more times with cake and icing.
- Garnish with a lemonhead on top.
- For extra cuteness add a plastic straw.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Strawberry Picking
Strawberry Thyme Cake
Matcha Strawberry Cake
Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Cake
