Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Printable)
Moist cupcakes studded with diced strawberries, lemon zest, and tangy strawberry-lemonade buttercream.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cupcakes
01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/4 tsp salt
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 tsp lemon zest
08 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/4 cup milk
10 - 1/4 cup sour cream
11 - 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, diced
→ Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream
12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 tbsp strawberry purée (from about 3–4 strawberries)
15 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
16 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar together using a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed until pale, light, and fluffy—about 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
05 - In a small bowl, stir together the milk and sour cream until smooth.
06 - With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredient mixture and the milk-sour cream blend to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—do not overmix.
07 - Using a spatula, gently fold the diced strawberries into the batter with minimal strokes to avoid crushing the fruit and deflating the batter.
08 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each liner about two-thirds full.
09 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the tin to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
10 - In a mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, beating on low until incorporated, then increasing to medium-high until light and fluffy. Add the strawberry purée, fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of salt; beat until the frosting is silky and spreadable.
11 - Pipe or spread the buttercream generously onto each cooled cupcake. Garnish with fresh strawberry halves, additional lemon zest, or a thin slice of candied lemon if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The strawberry lemon combination tastes like summer bottled up and poured into frosting form, and people always assume you bought them from a bakery.
- They come together in under an hour with nothing fussy or complicated, which means you can whip them up on a weeknight and still feel like a hero.
02 -
- Do not rush the cooling step because frosting warm cupcakes will melt the buttercream into a sad puddle every single time.
- Tossing the diced strawberries in a tiny pinch of flour before folding them in prevents them from all sinking to the bottom during baking.
03 -
- Freeze dried strawberry powder stirred into the buttercream instead of puree gives you an intense flavor punch and a stiffer frosting that holds intricate piped shapes beautifully.
- Tap the filled muffin tin firmly on the counter once before baking to release any hidden air bubbles that could create uneven tops.