Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Printable)
Light, fluffy cupcakes bursting with real strawberry and zesty lemon flavors, topped with creamy strawberry-lemon buttercream frosting.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cupcake Batter
01 - 1 ⅓ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - ¼ tsp baking soda
04 - ¼ tsp salt
05 - ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
09 - ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
11 - ½ cup (80 g) fresh strawberries, diced
→ Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream
12 - ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
15 - ¼ cup (40 g) strawberries, pureed
16 - ½ tsp vanilla extract
17 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure full incorporation before adding the next.
05 - Mix in the fresh lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest until evenly combined throughout the batter.
06 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the whole milk. Begin and end with the dry mixture, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
07 - Gently fold the diced fresh strawberries into the batter using a spatula, taking care not to crush the pieces.
08 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners, filling each one approximately two-thirds full.
09 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
10 - Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and transfer to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
11 - Beat the softened butter until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, beating continuously until well incorporated. Add the fresh lemon juice, strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat until the frosting is light, fluffy, and uniform in color.
12 - Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost each one generously with the strawberry lemonade buttercream. Garnish with thin strawberry slices or a sprinkle of lemon zest if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- Real fruit in both the cake and the frosting means genuine flavor, nothing artificial or cloying.
- The lemon zest and juice cut through the sweetness perfectly, so even people who claim they do not like dessert come back for seconds.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter once flour is in activates gluten and turns tender cupcakes dense, so stop when you see the last streak of flour disappear.
- Dicing strawberries too large means they sink to the bottom during baking, so aim for pieces no bigger than a pea.
03 -
- Toss the diced strawberries in a pinch of flour before folding them in, which helps them stay suspended throughout the batter instead of sinking.
- For the pinkest frosting without food coloring, use the ripest, deepest red strawberries you can find and reduce the puree slightly on the stovetop to concentrate both color and flavor.