Description
These strawberry lemonade cupcakes feature moist lemon cupcakes with creamy strawberry frosting. There’s nothing artificial about this recipe, and the flavor combination makes these cupcakes absolutely to die for!
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (187.5 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (30 ml)
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk (60 ml)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (60 ml)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (60 ml), freshly squeezed
Strawberry Frosting
- 8 ounces strawberries (226 grams), fresh or frozen
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened but still slightly firm
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar (330–440 grams)
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream (15 ml), if needed
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C or 160°C fan forced). Line a muffin tin with muffin papers (12-14 cupcakes).
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
4. Beat in the whisked eggs.
5. On low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the sour cream. Scrape the bowl.
6. Beat in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the milk. Scrape the bowl again.
7. Beat in the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, then gently stir in the lemon juice. Whisk smooth if needed.
8. Spoon batter into muffin cups about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Makes 12-14 cupcakes.
9. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
10. Core the strawberries and puree them in a blender or food processor.
11. Push puree through a metal sifter to remove seeds. Discard seeds.
12. In a saucepan over low-medium heat, gently boil the seedless puree until thick like jam and very dark (about 15 minutes). Cool fully.
13. In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy.
14. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar, then 2-3 tablespoons cooled strawberry puree.
15. Add remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, and more puree as needed. Add whipping cream if too thick.
16. Frost cooled cupcakes using a knife or piping bag with a 1M tip.
Notes
You’ll need 2–3 lemons for both zest and juice. Zest first, then juice.
Use room temperature ingredients for best results.
Fresh or frozen strawberries work—avoid frozen ones packed in syrup.
Cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Boiled-down puree can be made in advance and chilled.
Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days due to real fruit in the frosting.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 446
- Sugar: 48g
- Sodium: 69mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 61g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 87mg