Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.
I made these cupcakes four weeks ago today.
I’ve stared at these cupcake pictures everyday for four weeks.
I just don’t like these cupcakes.
I don’t know why. They never did anything to me. They were insanely delicious, that is not the issue. They have a sweet and slightly tart lemony base and the strawberry buttercream? Well… let’s just say that me and a spoon… we had a good time. The lemon buttercream? Love. It’s fabulousness plus twelve.
I’m just annoyed by these cupcakes. I want to chuck them out the window. But I want to eat them too. I want them to be prettier. But have less frosting. I want them to do a little dance for me, you know… a jig or something. But they just sit there. DO SOMETHING! Maybe I’m just doing some of that blah blah projecting or whatever. You know.
Bad news bears. Cupcakes don’t dance.
They are sort of like that boy in seventh grade… who is really nice to you… and is sort of cute… but kind of boring… and not adventurous… and sort of nerdy… and who your mom really loves, which just makes you not like him even more… and who asked you to dance then stood 8 inches away from you with his hands on your hips… and who is inevitably now a billionaire with three of the most gorgeous children you’ve ever seen… and all you want is the bad ass punk rocker with spiky black hair who goes through girls like socks. And then, when you’re 25, you realize that this boy was really nice and that you are whacked out and that your mom is always right. Yeah. These are like that.*
Perhaps I shall revisit these cupcakes in 5 years? That sounds about right.
Lemonade Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
grated zest of two lemons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients.
Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 mins at 350. Let cool, then frost.
Strawberry and Lemon Buttercream
2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar + 1 cup extra
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 -1/2 cup chopped strawberries
grated zest of two lemons
1-2 tablespoons of milk (just have on hand if needed)
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add in powdered sugar slowly with the mixer on low, increasing to combine. Add in vanilla extract. At this point you need to separate the frosting in two. It all depends on how much you want to frost each cupcake. I choose to take about 3/4 of the mixture and make it strawberry, with the rest being lemon. Whichever you decide to do, leave the frosting for the strawberry IN THE MIXER. Put the frosting for the lemon flavor in a separate bowl.
For the strawberry frosting: once the berries are chopped, press them with a paper towel to just release any extra moisture. Add 1/4 cup of the berries and turn the mixer on high, scraping down the sides as you go. Being that strawberries have a high water content, you may need to add some (or all) of the extra cup of powdered sugar. This will depend on the water content of YOUR strawberries, so add 1/4 cup, then more sugar if needed. Repeat until desired flavor/consistency is readers.
For lemon frosting: take the remaining butter mixture and either add it to a clean bowl of your electric mixer or a bowl large enough that you can whisk with some elbow grease. Fold in lemon zest and add milk if needed. I was able to do this by hand with a whisk (whisking VERY hard), but it will also work with an electric mixer.
*My emotional instability and physical incapacity to love these cupcakes does not reflect their supercalifragilisticexpi deliciousness. Make them. They obviously deserve a good home.
137 Comments on “Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.”
I’ve had a pink lemonade cupcake before and it was delicious!! :) The photos are gorgeous!
Thanks love!
I LOVE lemon flavored desserts! So refreshing!
Me too!
I love anything lemonade flavored! ha!
haha love the comments on this post – “girl cupcakes” and “the good boy” – so funny. Fortunately for me, I love good boys! These look lovely. I’m craving something lemon, big time.
The bad boys are exciting, but can break your heart in an instant. The sweet geeks, though…they’re loyal. Like I’m sure these cupcakes are. :)
Unless you just recently had a geek tear your heart into dust…
Sorry!!!:( Hope you find a nicer geek to love!!! </3+new nicer geek=<3
They sound like a perfect summery cupcake even if you’re having issues loving them :)
Okay, well I’ll eat yours then!!
Poor cupcakes. I agree with posts above, they do appeal for a nice summery dessert.
ooh….those cupcakes look delicious!! You should write a recipe book called, “Cupcakes Don’t Dance” :-)
Ha Ha that is so funny!!!!!:)
You are hilarious.
You are out of control hilarious. Please write a book!
These look dang good to me…but I’m a bad boy kind of girl….
Pobody’s nerfect! I think they look awesome and I can imagine the taste right now!
I’ll take these from you if you don’t want them. You don’t have to ask me twice! In fact, I’ll take anything you make that you don’t want! Haha!
Haha…well I for one think these cupcakes look fabulous!!
i had to reread this whole post…and realize TWO frostings?!?! ummm I would like these to be sold next to lemonade for 25 cents on a street corner :)
i have developed cupcake problem in the last year my favorite to make and eat is a triple lemon – i would attack this in this manner – lemon cake- light fluffy like this recipe http://www.coconutandlime.com/2010/01/lemon-drop-cupcakes.html
next up – lemon curd piped into the cupcake from here http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/thick_scottish_shortbread.aspx
– then i would top with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream WAYY less sweet than reg bc – oh so divine – from oh say here
http://dulcedoblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry.html
finish it off by drizzling the leftover curd if you haven’t eaten it all overtop the so yummy SMBC – gah i’m salivating….
i have developed cupcake problem in the last year my favorite to make and eat is a triple lemon – i would attack this in this manner – lemon cake- light fluffy like this recipe http://www.coconutandlime.com/2010/01/lemon-drop-cupcakes.html
next up – lemon curd piped into the cupcake from here http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/thick_scottish_shortbread.aspx
– then i would top with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream WAYY less sweet than reg bc – oh so divine – from oh say here
http://dulcedoblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry.html
finish it off by drizzling the leftover curd if you haven’t eaten it all overtop the so yummy SMBC – gah i’m salivating….
ps – love all your creations but i totally get ya when something doesn’t grab you and leaves you feeling like you spent the night with the nerdy not quite cute boy from elementary school!!!
I think these are by far your best cupcake yet, and the flavors are Amazing!
A strawberry on top wouldn’t hurt either ;)
i love how you have real berries in the frosting. yum!
Well next time you have that problem, I’ll be happy to take the rest off your hands. I’m generous like that :-)
omg! you crack me up! these look amazing, i am definitely adding to my list of yummy things i need to bake…..SOON!
happy friday!
This sounds wonderful!! I love the combination… love the styling… great job!
SO pretty!
You are too funny! These sound yummy. In my recent journey into cupcake making my daughter introduced me to flower petal cupcake papers! They have them at various craft stores and made a beautiful cupcake with very little icing. I can’ wait to make these!
I know what you mean. I’ve had several food experiences like this. I want to like it but in my heart of hearts it just doesn’t “do it” for me like other foods do… That said, I still think that these sound absolutely delicious! :)
I’m with you – there’s just something about the look of these cupcakes…messy? unfinished? blah? But, lemonade flavor? AND strawberry? They’ve gotta taste good. I think I’ll do my own taste-testing this weekend!
Love your blog!
My family has been making strawberry lemonade cuppycakes for awhile now. We usually make a strawberry cake batter and lemon cake batter then swirl it together before baking, that way you get both with almost each bite! Then lemon curd filling with strawberry cream cheese icing (cause who doesn’t LOVE cream cheese icing?!?! If you don’t, don’t fear, I will eat yours!)
That is a full-on TOWER of frosting, my friend. They look yummy!
LOL. this post is hysterical, I cant tell you how much I love your writing style- no wonder you have so many followers!! :)
Mmmm, I am planning a tea party this summer and these would be perfect!
These look great! I don’t think they’re boring at all! Perfect for a hot summer weekend like Memorial Day Weekend! Check out what I made this weekend at http://www.courtsreport.wordpress.com !
My frosting came out nothing like yours, more like a glaze… >.< Would you mind giving any tips on how you got yours to be how it is in the pictures?
these look amazing!! please don’t chuck them out the window. unless i’m standing under it, mouth open. can’t wait to make these!
Oh these look like a beautiful way to start summer!! And your new blog setup looks gorgeous! Do you use wordpress? Everything’s looking great! Congrats!
Mmm… I made these today! That strawberry frosting is absolutely amazing! And combined with the tart lemon frosting and zesty cake, it is just heaven. Thanks for the awesome recipe! :)
Pingback: Cooking Challenge Day #74 – Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes « Ella Rose Entertaining
What do you think about raspberries instead of strawberries? Do you think that would be better or not as good? Also I am going to make these tomorrow night, any tips on the frosting? I am scared. : )
I think raspberries would be great! And I find buttercream frosting to be very simple. Add a little liquid at a time and if it gets runny, just keep beating and adding sugar. :)
These look perfect! I have a recipe for a pink lemonade cupcake but the frosting was too sweet and overpowered the cupcake, and you couldn’t even taste the lemonade in the cake itself.
I’m making these for a luncheon next Friday with a bunch of dieting teachers, so I’m planning to make mini-cupcakes. To make them pretty I think I’m going to pipe a layer of one flavor frosting along the edge, and do the middle with the opposite color and add a frosting flower to pretty them up. I’ll let you know how they come out!
Pingback: Green Bean Bacon Bundles | How Sweet It Is
Have you tried putting half lemon and half strawberry buttercream in the same pastry bag ? It’s a little tricky for them to get them to be equal, but I think the result would fulfill your requirements: first you get a little bit of both frostings in one bite and second you’re not putting on huge globs of frosting!
I had very little faith going into these cupcakes. you said they didn’t make you fall in love and I honestly just wanted to go to the store so I could get out of the house and see my friend who works there. I was scrolling through your cupcake recipes and I found this thinking it would be something nice to make when I’m upset, because of course whenever I get upset I make cupcakes which is weird because I don’t usually like to eat them I just make them to relieve stress. Any who, I found these and i decided to make them and like I said I had little faith. I decided to put the lemon frosting in the middle of the cupcake and the strawberry on top. I must say these are just about the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. Thank you for posting this recipe it relieved A LOT of stress from my life. <3
I made these and they are DELICIOUS! I only made a half batch of buttercream and made that all strawberry and it iced all my cupcakes perfectly. Mine aren’t as pretty as yours but they definitely hold up taste-wise
HELP!! i am making these for a party tomorrow and i can’t get the strawberry buttercream to stop separating! i have made it twice now and both times it has separated. what am i doing wrong??
Have you tried adding more sugar? If this happens to me I literally just add sugar about 1/4 cup at a time and mix, mix, mix until it comes together. It should eventually come together!!
thanks, jessica! that’s what i ended up doing and then i refrigerated since it is over a 100 degrees here. when i served them last night, they were a huge hit! thanks for another great recipe! i love your site:o)
They look great but I know what you mena. I am the same way. when I make something even if it is good. I dont know if you vented because you are looking for suggestions but. What about using cake flour for one. It gives it a nice crumb. Number two I was a;lways taught to usea simple syrup when making any cupcake. After cooling. You can make it yourself and since these are lemon just makea lemon symle syrup and when the cupcakes are cooled then brush with the syrup. The other thing is if you do not want as much frosting how about taking both frostings and doing a single swirl with both at one timel. Doubleload your bag like they do with different colors when you wanta nice streak of two different colors. So that you will get the frostings together but not completely mixed. Put half of the strawberry on one side of the bag then load the lemon and use a very bog tip. so the two flavors will swirl amost like chocolate and vanilla softseve swirl??? What do yo u think???? Not trying to reinvent your cupcake you just sounded like m,aybe you were venting and maybe this will help. The ylook uber yummy but I think I will use your recipe and then lend my tips to it. Hope that does not upset you!!!
I found your strawberry/coconut cupcake a while ago but knew that me and my guests were not a huge fan of coconut. Instead, I made the strawberry cupcake, but wanted something else ingenious that you had come up with…and I found this! I didn’t separate the two frostings, but instead added BOTH the lemon zest and strawberries all to one frosting. They were a huge hit!! Thank you! (And my stomach thanks you for the extra frosting I have in the freezer that I occasionally dip in to)
Pingback: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes « Harvest Fresh
Hi there- These look and sound delicious! I’m thinking of making them for an “Iron Cupcake Challenge” my friend is hosting in a few days. I was looking through the instructions and I didn’t understand the frosting… Why is it separated into two? Are you giving us a choice to make either strawberry or lemon frosting or are we supposed to combine the two when we’re done mixing? (I’m sorry- I’m kind of a baking novice). ;)
Thanks,
Amy
It’s separated into 2 because there is lemon and strawberry frosting on the cupcakes (as in the pics above). You don’t have to do that though and can just use one if you’d like!
Pingback: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes | everyday as needed