Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
Light, moist, and fluffy, these Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes combine lemon and strawberry flavors into a perfect cupcake for any occasion.
Servings 24 cupcakes
Calories 327kcal
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2-1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest (zest from 1 whole lemon)
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
Frosting:
- 2 cups Unsalted Butter
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 4 tablespoons Strawberry Puree (You can use more or less depending on the color and flavor as per your liking)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven at 350 F / 180 C and line your baking pan with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, add in the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, and salt, and keep aside.
- In another bowl or stand mixer (you can also use an electric beater for this), add in the wet ingredients, oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs and mix well.
- Add the sugar to the wet mixture and mix till it's perfectly incorporated.
- Now add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in batches and mix till it's fully incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the batter and fill your liners till 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20-25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it completely cool down.
For frosting:
- Cream the butter until it's creamy and fluffy, add in the sugar (in batches) and beat until it achieves a smooth consistency. Add the strawberry puree and mix well till you get that gorgeous baby pink color!
- Fill the frosting in a piping bag, I am using a big closed star tip nozzle here, and frost your cupcakes.
Notes
Strawberry Puree Recipe
- Take about 1 cup of strawberries and core them to remove the green part.
- Puree the strawberries in the food processor until smooth.
- Sieve the puree to remove any seeds - this step is optional.
- Take the strawberry paste in a saucepan and heat it over medium flame, stirring continuously till it's reduced to about 1/4 of a cup. Let the mixture cool and then refrigerate it until you are ready to use.
- Don't Overstir. As with any other cupcake recipe, over stirring the cupcake batter will result in crumbly (and possibly rubbery) cupcakes. You only need to stir just until the flour is incorporated, no more.
- Gluten-Free. If you’ve opted to make these strawberry lemon cupcakes gluten-free with your choice of gluten-free flour, just be aware that it’s normal for the cupcakes to require additional baking time than what’s called for in this recipe. You can always test the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into them which should come out clean if cooked through.
- Frosting Tip. An easy way to ensure a smooth consistency to the frosting is to use a stand mixer with paddle attachment. While you could make the frosting by mixing by hand, it won’t have a velt-smooth finish and will definitely require additional arm work!
- Chill Out. These cupcakes can be enjoyed at room temperature or chilled. I’ve tried both options and tend to enjoy them even more after they’ve been chilled!
- Cool. Wait for the cupcakes to completely cool before even attempting to frost them otherwise you will ruin the frosting and end up with a melted mess.
- Tiny Bubbles. To reduce the possibility of any bubbles in the cupcake batter, simply tap the cupcake pan gently on the countertop prior to baking.
- Make Ahead. If you’d like to make these cupcakes in advance, consider baking the cupcakes ahead of time, leaving the frosting to make and apply just prior to serving.
- Puree. While I’ve used store-bought strawberry puree for convenience, feel free to make your own strawberry puree from scratch. This is a great idea when strawberry season is coming to a close and there are great bulk sales or if you happen to grow your own strawberries in your garden.
- Color. For a deeper color in the frosting, add in 1-2 drops of pink or red food coloring.
- Flavor. For more flavor in the cupcake batter, add in 1-2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Nutrition
Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg