Great news! Summertime’s favorite drink also comes in cupcake form. These sweet and just-a-bit tart cupcakes are perfect for summer birthdays, BBQs or any time you want to treat the littles. Garnish with lemon wedges or fresh raspberries and a tiny straw to get that uber-cute vibe right before you stuff them into your mouth. Scroll down to see our editor’s secrets to making the perfect batch.
You will need:
Your fave lemon cake recipe (see ours below)
Red food coloring or fresh (pureed raspberries)
The perfect buttercream frosting (click here) + lemon extract + zest
Garnish (lemon wedges, raspberries, sprinkles, cute straws…you decide!)
The cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate
3 egg whites
1/4 cup canola or coconut oil
1-2 tsp. lemon juice
1-2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp. raspberry puree (for the coloring)*
*You can also use red food coloring, about 3 drops, but reduce flour to 1 cup only
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Grease a 12-cupcake pan (or line with cupcake liners).
Step 3: Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Set aside.
Step 4: Whisk together egg whites, lemonade concentrate, oil, and lemon juice. Add milk. (Adding the lemon mix to the milk may cause curdling, which is okay because most recipes call for buttermilk. Adding the milk last helps cut down on this a bit). Add lemon zest.
Step 5: In a stand mixer alternate the wet mix and dry mix until well blended. (About 1 minute on medium speed).
Step 6: Add raspberry puree and blend for 2 minutes at medium speed until batter is smooth.
Step 7: Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (or until cupcake tops spring back when touched lightly)
Step 8: Make the frosting while the cupcakes cool.
The frosting:
Use the recipe found here, but add:
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1/8 tsp. lemon extract
1 tbsp. raspberry puree* or 2 drops red food coloring
*You may need to add a little bit of extra powdered sugar to thicken the frosting once you’ve added the puree.
Step 9: Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost each cupcake. If you want it to look fancy, use a piping bag or Ziplock bag to add the frosting in a spiral. Or invest in a cupcake decorating tip-set, so you can look like you know what you are doing!
Step 10: Garnish with lemon wedges, sprinkles or a single raspberry and/or a small straw (just cut a paper straw in half) to make it look more “lemonade-y.”
Step 11: Eat a cupcake! Great job!
What’s your go-to lemon cake recipe? Tell us in a comment below.
