It's no secret that I love lemons, and one of my favorite summer drinks is Strawberry Lemonade. It has just the right amount of sweet, and just the right amount of tart - I could drink it by the gallon.
Earlier this week, I attended a viewing party for the show Glee - an instant classic episode which featured songs by Madonna. Tasked with bringing something fun and festive for dessert, I came up with a recipe for Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes.
Lemon Cupcakes
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 C. sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 C. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 C. milk
- 2 T. lemon zest
- 2 T. lemon juice
- Few drops yellow food color gel, if desired
Line 2 24-cup mini cupcake pans with liners.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 4 min.
Add the eggs, one at a time until the mixture becomes creamy.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Whisk to combine.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk until completely incorporated.
Add the lemon zest and juice. Mix batter for an additional minute. Add food color gel and mix just until blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake for 17-23 minutes.
Cool before frosting.
Strawberry Lemon Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 pkg (16 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 T. strawberry jelly, heated in a pan until melted, and cooled.
- 1 T. lemon zest
- 2 T. lemon juice
- Few drops pink food color gel
- Fresh strawberries, for garnish
Add the powdered sugar about 1/2 C. at a time, turning to high speed for a few seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add the strawberry jelly lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat until combined.
Add the pink food color gel until the desired color is reached.
Frost cooled cupcakes, adding a small piece of chopped strawberry for garnish.
