Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Seriously! Check out my army of Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes!!

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.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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!!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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!!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

These Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes are the perfect summer treats!! The cupcake is lemon flavored, frosted with Strawberry Cream Cheese frosting and Lemon Cream Cheese frosting. These fresh cupcakes will certainly brighten anybody's day!
4.67 from 15 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 14 cupcakes
Calories 320 kcal

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!

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50 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What a beautiful looking cupcake, so understated and elegant. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for freeze-dried strawberries.

  2. These are so adorable! I love using freeze dried berries and keep them in my cupboard all the time. They definitely add a lot of flavor and what a great idea to use them in your frosting!

  3. 5 stars
    These sound amazing- and that frosting! Oh man that sounds dangerous (in the best way!). It might never make it to the cupcakes!

  4. 5 stars
    These are definitely the freshest and brightest! They look so yummy and I’m sure they are, and they’re so addictive!

  5. 5 stars
    These are so pretty! I love the swirled frosting and that the swirls are different flavors. This would be so much fun to serve at a summer baby shower or birthday party!

  6. 5 stars
    These are exactly what my soul needs right now since we seem to be stuck in perpetual winter in the Midwest!! These sound like summer in a cupcake! 😀 I will definitely make them soon!

  7. 5 stars
    I am addicted to anything with strawberry and lemon. These are so cute and summery. My niece, she’s 10 years old, loves making cupcakes. I’m going to send her your recipe. I love that you didn’t use butter to make the cupcakes. The must be so light and moist!

  8. 5 stars
    I LOVE strawberry lemonade…so much so, that when I was younger and had braces, I always chose pink and yellow as my colors to resemble the lemonade. So dorky, I know! Haha! Anywho, what I am saying is, I need to try these cupcakes ASAP!!!!

  9. Made these for my daughter’s bday. They were delicious! Rolling the two icings in plastic wrap then putting in piping bag posed from issues. I had to scrap that process. A video showing how you did this would be helpful. Thanks for the great recipe!

  10. How long will these cupcakes and icing keep, and I assume you recommend keeping them in the refrigerator until they are ready to be served?

    1. Yes I do recommend to keep them in the refrigerator. And they will keep nicely for up to 3-4 days, if you keep them covered in the fridge, in a container.

  11. 5 stars
    Seriously, this is the best recipe for “from scratch” cupcakes I have found yet! Delicious, moist and perfect lemon flavor! I’m so excited about them, I’m posting this comment prior to even making the frosting! I’m confident the frosting will be just as amazing! Thank you for sharing, I will forever follow your blog!
    Krys

  12. 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!

  13. 5 stars
    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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

    1. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

    1. 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!!

  18. 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?

  19. 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?

    1. 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 🙂

  20. 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.

    1. 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

  21. 4 stars
    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!

  22. 1 star
    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!

    1. 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.

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