Best Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

These Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes are cupcake version of my favorite strawberry lemonade from Red Robin. They used to have this drink called speckled strawberry lemonade, sweet but not too sweet and super refreshing. It even has real macerated strawberry in it, which has to be my favorite thing about that lemonade. I don’t think they serve that anymore nowadays but I used to get that every single time we ate there back in my college day.
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

For this recipe, I used my Very Strawberry Cupcakes as the base. I add a filling of homemade lemon curd for that tangy lemonade flavor. You could save time and use a store-bought lemon curd instead, I’ve seen a few brands selling it in the store for a decent price. But if you’re up for making your own, my lemon curd recipe takes just 15 minutes extra, and you can use the left over on toast, pancakes or scones.

Filling the cupcakes may sound tricky but is actually very simple. In the past, I used a long piping tip inserted into the cupcake to fill it but now I find cutting out a hole is the easiest. This also ensure enough filling is added to each cupcake.

No fancy equipment is required to create holes in the cupcakes. I simply use the back of a piping tip to cut into the cupcakes. Push down and twist, when you lift up, a piece of cupcake will come out with the piping tip leaving a nicely formed hole for the filling to be added to. If the piece of cupcake inside the piping tip won’t come out with a little shake, use a chopstick to push it out from the other end. You can repeat the process one more time to create a deeper hole if desired.

Best Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
I love how easy and delicious these strawberry lemonade cupcakes are. All that frosting especially is making me wish I had one to devour!

Ingredients

    Lemon Cake:

•     1/3 C. oil or melted butter
•     1 box white cake mix
•     3 eggs
•     1 C. sour cream
•     1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
•     zest of 2 lemons
•     1/2 C. milk

   Strawberry Frosting:

•     1/2 tsp. vanille extract
•     1 1.2 oz pkg. freeze dried strawberries*, crushed and sifted to remove large pieces
•     1 C. butter
•     3-4 C. powdered sugar
•     2 tsp. fresh lemon juice optional

    *NOTE: You can use strawberry jam or fresh strawberry puree as a replacement but it won't yield the same punch of flavor and color

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcake liners.
2. Sift cake mix into a large bowl to remove any lumps and continue to add the remaining cake ingredients. Stir until smooth.
3. Sill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
4. Let cool.
5. Strawberry Frosting: Beat butter and crush freeze dried strawberries until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice and slowly add in powdered sugar. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed and add powder sugar until it becomes thick enough.
6. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with fresh berries or little straws to really make adorable Strawberry Lemonade cakes!

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