Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes are super tender and moist lemon cupcakes with the most delicious strawberry lemon cream cheese frosting. Unlike some strawberry frosting recipes that are watery from fresh berries that are too liquid-y to keep it thick, this uses my new favorite baking ingredient, freeze dried berries! Like I mentioned in this recipe, they are so awesome because you can crush them into a powder so they don’t contribute any liquid to the mix. The freeze dried berries give the frosting a super strong strawberry flavor and with a touch of lemon as well, and the end result is really perfect. These cupcakes are perfect for any occasion, from baby showers to birthday parties, Easter, or Mother’s Day.
Ingredients for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
- For the Lemon Cupcake Base:
- Lemon zest
- Fresh lemon juice
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla Extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
For the Strawberry Buttercream:
-
- Fresh strawberries for garnish
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Freeze-dried strawberries (optional for extra flavor)
- Cream cheese
Supplies needed for Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes:
- Hand Mixer
- Food Processor (optional, for crushing freeze dried strawberries)
- Muffin tin
- Paper liners
- Piping bag with large star tip
The Process:
Preheat your oven to 350F and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed- be careful not to over mix.
Baking the Cupcakes:
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to pour the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This usually takes around 18-20 minutes.
For the Creamy Strawberry Frosting Recipe:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, (or a large bowl with an electric mixer,) cream together the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Fold in crushed freeze-dried strawberries and mix. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. If needed, add a tsp or two of milk or heavy cream to reach the right consistency.
Decorating the Cupcakes:
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely on a wire rack, use an offset spatula, or a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to frost each cupcake with the strawberry buttercream.
- Garnish the top of each cupcake fresh strawberries.
Storage Tips:
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container to maintain freshness..
- Cupcakes can also be frozen before frosting. Find info on that in this post.
Tips for perfect cupcakes: Always start with room temperature ingredients. (Butter, eggs etc.) The ingredients will blend together much easier and the cake will have a nice and fluffy texture.
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- Zest of 3 lemons, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 1/2-2 cups freeze dried strawberries, crushed into a coarse powder *
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Strawberries for garnish.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a cupcake tin with paper liners, set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla, zest, lemon juice and the eggs, one at a time beating in between each addition.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat on low speed until just combined, making sure not to over-mix.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake tins- filling 3/4 of the way.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the strawberry "powder" and mix well, add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until well combined. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes until super fluffy.
- Spread or pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Notes
*This will yield about 1/2 cup of strawberry "powder"
Cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
Strawberries are the best this time of year, and I love that you used freeze dried strawberries in the frosting! That stuff is my favorite :D I want to grab one of these off the screen!
I love the fact that the favors and colors are pure and real from the freeze dried berries. These are exquisite looking too!
I have been eating strawberries daily since the start of my third trimester…so I’m pretty sure I’d be OBSESSED with these!
Just made these Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes and they are absolutely delightful! The lemon cupcakes are incredibly tender and moist, and the strawberry lemon cream cheese frosting is to die for. The secret? Freeze-dried berries – they keep the frosting thick and flavorful without getting watery. Everyone loved them, and they’re definitely going into my regular baking rotation!