Does anything taste like summer in a glass more than lemonade? It’s one of our favorite warm-weather sips — even better when you add a few fresh strawberries to give it extra sweet flavor. That was our inspiration for this Lemon-Strawberry Cupcakes recipe, and these treats definitely won’t disappoint!
We made ‘em easy by starting with store-bought cake mix, then gave it an upgrade with lemon zest. Berry-infused homemade buttercream is the perfect finishing touch. And for a bit whimsy, we like to decorate with paper straws to really give them that strawberry lemonade feel. But you can skip if you’d like.
Bringing them to a party? Transport them easily with a shirt box. Just use a knife to score X’s into the top of the box, making sure to leave some space between each. Then nestle the cupcakes in the opening — the cardboard flaps will ensure they stay in place.
Let us know what everyone thinks in the comments! And for more lemony good individual treats, try our Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes and Mini Lemon Cheesecakes.
Yields
Total Time
Prep Time
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 Tbs. grated lemon zest
- 1 lb. strawberries, hulled
- 2 Tbs. + 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ¾ cups butter, at room temp.
- 2 tsp. strawberry extract
- Yellow and white paper straws, cut into 2 ½ ” pieces
- Lemon slices, halved
Instructions
PrintHeat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Prepare cake mix according to package directions with eggs, oil and 1 cup water. Stir in zest. Divide among liners. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 15–18 min. Let cool.
In food processor, puree 1 ¾ cups strawberries and 2 Tbs. sugar. Using spoon, stir and push through strainer. On medium speed, beat butter until fluffy, 1–2 min. On low, gradually beat in remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in strawberry puree and extract until blended. On medium-high, beat until fluffy, about 2 min.
Slice remaining berries. Transfer frosting to pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe on cupcakes. Top with sliced berries, straws and lemon slices.
Nutrition
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Fat: 8 gram
- Saturated Fat: 3 gram
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbohydrate: 36 gram
- Fiber: 0 gram
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
- Sugar: 29 gram
- Sodium: 170 mg
