Fresh Lemonade

Now I am sure when you think lemonade you think of an ice cold beverage in a tall glass the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day, but I'm talkin CUPCAKES!!

This weekend we had a family get together and I was in charge of dessert...and since I have quite the list of ideas on my pinterest page I knew I would find the perfect one!! I decided to go with a strawberry lemonade cupcake, thinking nothing says summer like the combination of strawberries and lemonade!

I did some searching to find the perfect kind to try. I wanted something light and also something that didn't require too much skill. I found the perfect one at Half Baked!

To get started I gathered all my dry ingredients:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
{makes 24 cupcakes or 16 cupcakes in a jar}

For the cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemonade powder mix
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
1 tsp vanilla
lemonheads (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners
In medium bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lemonade powder and lemon zest, set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer cream butter and sugar on medium speed until combined.
Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.
Gradually add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating starting and ending with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, ice with Strawberry Lemon Frosting and garnish with a lemonhead on top.

For the frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp strawberry puree (from about 3-4 strawberries)
1 tsp lemon zest

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter for 1-2 minutes.
2. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and continue mixing scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Mix in strawberry puree and lemon zest.
4. Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with tip 1M to decorate cupcakes.

These were Super delicious!! I will definitely be making these again and making them into Cake Pops! Hope you'll try these out for you summer get togethers!!