recipe: strawberry lemonade cupcakes

These cupcakes are inspired by one of my favorite summer treats, Strawberry Lemonade! 

The flavors are so good together! And they are perfect for this time of year!

I garnished the cupcakes with lemon zest & a strawberry slice.

And to really play off the "strawberry lemonade" theme, I put a cute striped straw in them!

This would make them so cute for Mother's Day or for a "kick-off to summer party" for Memorial Day!

These cupcakes are moist, but they hold together well & the texture is perfect. 

The frosting is so light, fluffy & very lemon-y! These cupcakes are SO good!! 

Strawberry Cupcakes

(recipe adapted from Sprinkles via Martha Stewart)

2/3 cup Fresh Strawberries

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Butter, unsalted, softened

1 cup Sugar

1 large Egg

2 large Egg Whites

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

Puree strawberries in a small food processor and set aside.
(2/3 cup of chopped strawberries should make about 1/3 cup of puree.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

Cream butter with a mixer on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the egg and egg whites until blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Add the strawberry/milk mixture and mix until just blended. Slowly add the remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter among the cupcake liners. 

Bake cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.

with Lemon Frosting

1/3 cup Butter, softened

1/4 cup Fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice

3-4 cups Powdered Sugar

Pinch of Salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, salt & one cup of the powdered sugar. Beat until it is creamy. Mix in the lemon juice & then gradually add in the remaining powdered sugar until it is the consistency you'd like.

(I suggest putting the decorations on right before you serve them, so that they stay fresh & looking pretty!)