Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Inspired by the classic summer refreshment, these strawberry lemonade cupcakes are made easy with a lemon cake mix infused with strawberry lemonade flavor and topped with vibrant, strawberry lemonade buttercream frosting. These cupcakes are a deliciously easy dessert that are made for bright summer weather.
Why I made these strawberry lemonade cupcakes
Last Sunday, my sister and I threw a party at my apartment. I had a bunch of strawberries that needed to be used up, so I pureed some of them and tried making something new – strawberry lemonade cupcakes. They’re light and summery with a nice lemony zip.
Since I wanted to keep it simple, I decided to doctor up a cake mix for the cupcakes and top them with a buttercream-turned-fancy-frosting with a simple addition of some lemon zest and freeze dried strawberries.
Get ready to fall in love with chilly weather and shorter days with fresh new recipes for autumn!
How to make these strawberry cupcakes
Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 350˚F and line a muffin tin with cupcakes liners. Then, measure all of your ingredients and make sure you have everything you need before starting.
Mix the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat the dry cake mix with the rest of the cupcake batter ingredients (see list below) with an electric mixer. Mix until everything is incorporated and you can no longer see any lumps.
Bake the cupcakes. Divide the batter between your prepared cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes for 18 – 20 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they have risen and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. Once they’re cool enough to handle, you can transfer them to a cooling rack.
Make the frosting. Using an electric mixer, beat the vegetable shortening until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, zest, strawberry powder, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and salt. Continue beating until incorporated.
Then, add about 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until it has all been added, scraping the sides as you go. Transfer to a piping bag or set aside until ready to use.
Decorate and garnish. Frost the cupcakes however you prefer (piping or spreading) and top with a strawberry or lemon slice, or both.
frequently asked questions: Strawberry lemonade cupcakes
First, avoid over-mixing the batter as it will toughen the cupcake. Second, you can cover the cupcakes in an airtight container for about 12 hours before serving, they usually are more moist the second day when stored properly.
Yes you can freeze them, though they will always be best when fresh. I would recommend to save the frosting for serving if you need to make these in advance.
How long do cupcakes have to cool before frosting?
You really want cupcakes to be at room temperature before frosting them. This means room temperature throughout, if the cupcakes are cool to the touch but still warm in the center the frosting will still melt, it will just melt slower.
More strawberry recipes
- Strawberry rhubarb coconut ice cream
- Strawberry poppyseed salad
- Easy strawberry tart
- Creamy strawberry watermelon sorbet
More dairy free cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Inspired by the classic summer refreshment, these strawberry lemonade cupcakes are made easy with a lemon cake mix infused with strawberry lemonade flavor and topped with vibrant, strawberry lemonade buttercream frosting. These cupcakes are a deliciously easy dessert that are made for bright summer weather.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hours 60 minutes
- Yield: 18 cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 15.25 box lemon cake mix
- 1/3 cup melted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain coconut yogurt
- 2 lemons zested and juiced (1/2 cup lemon juice)
- ¼ cup freeze dried strawberry powder*
- 4 eggs
For the frosting:
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, or vegan butter
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons freeze dried strawberry powder*
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 2 – 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, stir mix together the dry cake mix, melted vegan butter, coconut yogurt, lemon juice, strawberry powder and eggs at a medium speed for about 2 minutes – or until no visible lumps remain.
- In a muffin tin with cupcake liners, divided batter between cups.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes – or until cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat shortening with lemon juice, zest, strawberry powder, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and salt at a medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping sides if needed.
- Next, add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, scraping sides when necessary until sugar is fully combined. If needed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as need to reach desired consistency.
- Once cupcakes have completely cooled, frost as desired.
Notes
*To make freeze dried strawberry powder: place 1 bag freeze dried strawberries into the bowl of a food processor and puree until the strawberries reach a powder-like consistency.
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 31.8 g
- Sodium: 319 mg
- Fat: 15.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 44.5 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
Keywords: dairy free, easy, cake mix, strawberry, lemonade, cupcakes
Published: May 17, 2022. Updated: May 17, 2022.
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Melissa, these cupcakes are the bee’s knees! So gorgeous and I love the flavor combo (you can’t go wrong with strawberry lemonade, right?).
what a fun, summery flavor!
Is there a kool aid brand frozen concentrate? Or did you substitute with kool aid packets? Is kool aid considered “lemonade drink mix”?
I used the dry Kool aid lemonade packets!
How much? Did you also use the kool aid in the frosting? If so how much? I really want to make these ASAP!
I used frozen (but thawed) lemonade concentrate in the cupcakes, and in the frosting I used 2 teaspoons of the dry Kool Aid powder, which was a little less than one of the small packets – the ones that make just a single pitcher. Does that help?