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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from Scratch

Three freshly baked strawberry lemonade cupcakes with swirled pink strawberry frosting sitting on a white serving board.
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Make these moist, bright strawberry lemonade cupcakes featuring fresh fruit puree in the cake and topped with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting. This recipe delivers bakery style fruit cupcakes perfect for summer.

Ingredients

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  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup fresh strawberry puree (from about 6 large strawberries)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, for frosting
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, for frosting
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, for frosting
  • 1/4 teaspoon pink food coloring (optional, for color)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, strawberry puree, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; do not overmix.
  6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
  7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. To make the lemon frosting, beat the 1/2 cup softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy. Add a drop or two of pink food coloring if you want a pink swirl effect.
  9. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them generously. Garnish with a thin slice of fresh strawberry or a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Notes

  • To make the fresh strawberry puree, blend about 6 hulled strawberries until smooth, then measure out 1/4 cup.
  • For a stronger lemonade flavor in the cake, add 1/2 teaspoon more lemon zest to the batter.
  • If you want pink and yellow swirl cupcakes, divide the batter in half. Mix the strawberry puree into one half and leave the other half plain (or add a drop of yellow coloring to the plain half). Alternate spoonfuls of the two batters into the liners before baking.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingbycarla.com/strawberry-lemonade-cupcakes-recipe/