Easy Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Published on June 15, 2023

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Not only does this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes look stunning but they taste amazing too. They are bright and sunny while being so easy to make.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe:

This recipe just makes me smile. From the vibrant cupcake liners to the fun decorations on top, this is just so cute. Plus, the cupcakes are so moist and delicious with the best frosting.

Seriously, you are going to love these cupcakes for any occasion. I can just see these sitting at the dessert table for a Spring party or Summer cookout.

The recipe starts with a cake mix so it is really simple. You can make this with very little effort but no one will guess. The cupcakes look so pretty that everyone will think you spent hours.

Why we Love this Cupcake Recipe:

Fun to Make – The colors of this cupcake is perfect for any summer BBQ’s. The yellow and red makes for a crowd pleasing cupcake.
Simple Ingredients – This cupcake recipe starts with a cake mix, which makes it easy to prepare this recipe.
Flavorful – The combination of strawberry and lemonade mix makes for a delicious cupcake.

Ingredients:

White Cake Mix
Strawberry Jell-O
Sweetened Lemonade mix
Frozen Strawberries in Sugar
eggs
Vegetable Oil
Butter
Powdered Sugar
Sweetened Lemonade mix
Water
Chewy Lemonheads candy for topping

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

Step 1 – Heat Oven – Go ahead and preheat your oven while you get ready to start mixing the cupcakes.

Step 2 – Mix the dry ingredients – First, stir the cake mix, dry jello and lemonade mix together.

Step 3 – Puree the Strawberries – Second, puree the strawberries. Once, I know I am going to make these cupcakes, I go ahead and let the frozen strawberries thaw. You can then easily put them in a food processor to puree.

Making the cupcakes and placing the batter in the muffin tin

Step 4 – Mix in the wet ingredients – Next, add the strawberries, eggs and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients. Make sure all of this is mixed together until really smooth.

Step 5 – Fill liners with batter – Put those adorable polka dot cupcake liners in the muffin tin and fill with batter. I have a set of stainless steel cookie scoops that I love to use to fill the cupcake liners with.

They make baking so much easier and faster. You can order a set here.

Step 6 – Bake Cupcakes – Finally, bake and let cool completely. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

How to Make Lemonade Buttercream:

Step 1 – Cream Butter – First, cream the butter in a medium bowl.

Step 2 – Add in Powdered Sugar and Lemonade mix – Second, add in the powdered sugar and lemonade mix. You want to do this slowly so the powdered sugar doesn’t go all over.

Step 3 – Add Water – Keep mixing and add water until everything is mixed together. Mix the icing is the consistency you want.

Making the frosting and topped the cupcakes

Step 4 – Put icing in piping bag – Next, put the icing into a piping bag. I love these Wilton throw away bags because cleanup is so easy.

Step 5 – Use Zip Lock bag instead. – If you do not have a piping bag, you can use a zip lock bag. You can then just cut the corner to pipe the icing.

Step 6 – Ice the Cupcakes – After you finish the icing, I love to dust each cupcake with white sanding sugar. Then top with a lemon head candy.

Step 7 – Decorate the cupcakes – You can also cut a fun paper straw and add that to the cupcake too. This is all optional but really makes the cupcakes look adorable.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes decorated on a cake stand

How to Decorate Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

After preparing the strawberry buttercream icing, place in a piping bag or a zip lock bag. Use a piping tip, to swirl the icing on the cupcake. We like to stick a colorful straw in the cupcake and top with a lemonhead candy.

You can easily use strawberry frosting or other types of frosting to top the cupcakes. A lemon slice or fresh strawberries would be also be perfect topped on the cupcake as well.

Strawberry Lemon Cupcake Recipe Tips:

Strawberries – To prepare the strawberries for this recipe, I like to go ahead and let them thaw in fridge overnight. This makes it easier to puree in the food processor.
Cookie Scoop – We recommend using a cookie scoop to scoop the cake mix into the muffin pan.
Combining Ingredients – Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure the ingredients are combined thoroughly until smooth.
Cool Cupcakes – We recommend cooling the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. The cupcakes can be prepared ahead of time and then frosted.

How to Store:

Strawberry Lemonade are best stored in an air tight container in the fridge. These cupcakes will last about 5 days if stored properly.

These cupcakes are perfect to prepare ahead of time. You can easily prepare and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

How to Freeze Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes can be placed in the freezer. We recommend freezing the cupcakes and then frosting when you are ready to serve. Store in a freezer safe container and they will last about 3 months.

Variations for Lemonade Cupcakes:

Frosting – We used a buttercream frosting, but you can also frost the cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting.
Lemon – Add lemon zest or lemon juice to the cake mix or frosting for extra lemon flavor.
Change the Cake – Feel free to use a different cake or make homemade cake. A strawberry cake mix or a lemon cake mix would be a delicious change. We like using a cake mix as there is no need for granulated sugar or baking powder.
Topping – You can easily change the topping on this cupcake. Add a lemon slice to the side of the frosting for a refreshing treat.