Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Printable)
Sweet, fluffy cupcakes with fresh strawberry and tangy lemon flavors, topped with luscious lemon-strawberry buttercream frosting.
# What You Need:
→ Cupcakes
01 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - ¼ tsp baking soda
04 - ¼ tsp salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
09 - 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
10 - ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
11 - ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries
→ Lemon-Strawberry Buttercream
12 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 tbsp fresh strawberry puree
15 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
17 - Pinch of salt
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and zest.
05 - Mix in half the dry ingredients, then add buttermilk, and finish with remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
06 - Gently fold chopped strawberries into the batter.
07 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
08 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
10 - Mix in strawberry puree, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
11 - Pipe or spread buttercream onto completely cooled cupcakes. Garnish with additional strawberries or lemon zest if desired.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The combination of tart lemon and sweet strawberries tastes like sunshine in cupcake form
- Friends literally ask me to make these for every summer gathering now
02 -
- Warm cupcakes will turn your gorgeous frosting into a melty mess, I learned this the disappointing way
- Really strain that strawberry puree through a fine mesh sieve, tiny seeds make frosting feel gritty
03 -
- Grate your lemons before juicing them, it's nearly impossible to zest a squeezed lemon
- The buttercream will look slightly curdled when you first add the strawberry puree, keep beating and it will smooth out beautifully