Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Seriously! Check out my army of Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes!!
These Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes are the freshest and brightest summer cupcakes!
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The cupcakes are lemon flavored, frosted with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.
Whenever I want to make Strawberry Frosting, I usually make a strawberry coulis and add to my buttercream or cream cheese frosting. This time, I decided to try something different.
I had a little bag of freeze dried strawberries sitting in my cupboard.
So I just processed the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder, sifted it and then added the powder to my frosting.
Honestly, I might just stick with this way of making strawberry frosting from now on.
The tanginess and the strawberry flavor just shine through in this frosting. Not to mention that the color is just beautiful.
And anytime you add a coulis or something watery like that to a frosting, you risk making it liquidy and curdled.
Well, no more!
Not to mention how much easier this approach is.
I’m not all for what’s easy in the kitchen. Sometimes, when something is really easy, I think to myself: well, this can’t be good!
I know. I have issues.
People are always looking for the: “Easy Strawberry Frosting Recipe” or “2 Ingredient Strawberry Recipe”, while I’m the total opposite. If there was a title: “Complicated Strawberry Frosting Recipe”, you can be sure that’s the one I’d be clicking on.
But in this case, I have no way out. It’s easy and I like it!!
I invite you to try this frosting, and you won’t regret it. Well, you might regret it, once you find yourself eating frosting with a spoon. (not that it has happened to me. Not me, no way!)
On this same note, please try my Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze! Because if you are anything like me, you are addicted to the combo Strawberry and Lemon!!
I also included my favorite brand of cupcake liners and my go-to cupcake tin (I have like a thousand, but this is the best one!). So there, now you have everything you need to make these Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup milk I used whole
- Zest of 2 lemons
Strawberry and Lemonade Cream Cheese Frostings
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 oz freeze dried strawberries
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs until slightly pale, about 1 minute.
- Add sugar, whisk for another minute.
- Add vanilla and oil. Whisk until combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula.
- Proceed to add milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until combined.
- Add the remaining flour.
- Pour batter into cupcake pan, either greased with butter and then floured, or lined with cupcake papers.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway.
Strawberry and Lemonade Cream cheese frostings
- Pulse freeze dried strawberries in processor until they are a fine powder. Put through a sifter to filter out large particles. Set aside.
- Cream cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add sifted powdered sugar, mix on low until mixed in. Turn speed to medium and beat for a couple minutes. Add vanilla.
- Split frosting in half into two bowls.
- Add zest of lemon to one and add the freeze dried strawberries to the other.
- Cream both separately until well combined.
- Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Spread the lemon cream cheese frosting. Right next to it, spread the strawberry frosting.
- Roll the plastic wrap over itself and insert it into a piping bag fitted with the tip you will be using to pipe on the cupcakes.
- Pipe away! Top with a strawberry and serve!
Nutrition
I was hopeful for this recipe… But… My cupcakes sank in the middle. I baked more than your recommended time, so they were not undercooked. Other than cooking longer, I followed the directions. Your recipe is rated at 4.9 stars, however, almost all of them are from people saying “It LOOKS good! Very frustrating! I should know better than to trust the reviews without reading them first! I won’t be making again!
your cupcakes could have sank in the middle because your baking powder or baking soda are stale or expired, or because you filled the pans too much. If you scroll down there’s a lot of people who have made the recipe and do state that the recipe is really good. sorry it didn’t work for you, but there’s nothing wrong with the recipe.
I’ve made these a several times and always super delicious, however the last few times they have completely sunk in the middle. This last time I opted to not open the oven half way to turn and it still sunk. Any ideas as to why that would be happening? Thanks!
probably not being baked enough
Thanks for the response, but they are sinking half way through baking, any other possibilities?
Hello, am going to try this recipe for the first time as this is what my granddaughter would like for her birthday. Please let me know if I can make them a day or two ahead and refrigerate covered tightly. Will they be OK if I took them out about an hour before serving? Will the frosting hold up.? And have you made a video yet of how to swirl both frostings as you have described? I believe a reader has suggested it. Thanks.
Yes you can definitely make it a day or two before serving, it’s best to keep it in a closed container because the fridge dries out the cupcakes.
Unfortunately I didn’t get around to making a video for the frosting, however, in this video right here, it should already open on minute 9:21 which is when I do the technique. https://youtu.be/klCBh7vfuSs?t=561
Amazing recipe! Sounds so good and I can’t wait to try it! Would I be able to use fresh strawberries instead of freeze dried?
I would puree them and reduce, then let them cool down before adding to the frosting, and don’t add too much, or the frosting will separate, or be watery 🙂
Hi there! These cupcakes look extraordinary & I’m thinking about making them for my mom’s birthday in a couple of weeks! As for the freeze dried strawberries, can we purée them in a blender?
yes for sure!!! Hope your mom loves them!
Absolutely beautiful cupcakes. I added a few drops of lemon juice to the lemon icing, and ended up using a spatula to spread it around (I’m not good at icing). I would suggest this to anyone that has time to spare because it took me almost 5 hours to prep, mix, bake, prep, mix, ice, and then clean up. But I am slow and spent half the time singing and dancing. Altogether awesome recipe.
That’s so lovely to hear! Thank you so much! And it sounds great that you enjoyed your time singing and dancing, that’s inspiring!! I love that!!
Absolutely beautiful cupcakes. I added a few drops of lemon juice to the lemon icing, and ended up using a spatula to spread it around (I’m not good at icing). I would suggest this to anyone that has time to spare because it took me almost 5 hours to prep, mix, bake, prep, mix, ice, and then clean up. But I am slow and spent half the time singing and dancing. Altogether awesome recipe.
The cake portion failed on two separate occasions.
Ideal for a lemon cornbread if that’s what you were looking for.
Frosting is spot on. Works well, the twist is always a hit, but forced to use another version for for the cupcakes.
maybe there’s something wrong with your ingredients. Lots of other reviews here on the blog and on pinterest say they love the cupcakes, and they are fluffy and soft. Plus, there’s no cornmeal in this recipe to make it resemble cornbread.
Anyway thanks for your feedback, and for taking the time to come comment.
Have a lovely day.
Made these for my daughter’s 13th birthday tonight to add some fun to our quarantine. This frosting is amazing!!!! I was not successful with the swirl so ended up layering one on top of the other. Probably my fault as I couldn’t help adding a tad bit of lemon juice along with the zest. That made the lemon frosting super yummy but a little too soft to combine well with the strawberry in a consistent way.
This recipe was so satisfying! The cupcakes are light and flavorful and I cannot stop myself from eating them. I substituted in pistachio paste in the frosting instead of strawberry. It turned out well but I wish I had had strawberries on hand. I’ll have to make it again soon.
Sounds amazing with pistachio paste too! Wow! Can only imagine how tasty! Thank you so much!!!
Made these cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. They were a big hit! I made them with 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and made the frosting buttercream instead of cream cheese. Delicious! Thank you!
Ohhhh very nice to know that worked well with the 1 to 1 gluten free flour!!!! Thank you so much for reporting back Jenni! Have a lovely day!