If you are looking for something to bake that will immediately brighten your day and make you think of spring and summer, try making these simple strawberry lemonade cupcakes. While they might not look simple, they are… Because they are made using a dressed up box of lemon cake mix and topped with an easy-to-make, homemade buttercream frosting.
Are you ready to bake?
Ingredients Needed for the Cupcakes:
- 1 box of lemon cake mix + the ingredients on box (water, oil, and eggs)
- 1 package unsweetened strawberry or lemonade Kool-Aid for flavoring (optional)
Ingredients Needed for the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 pound butter, room temperature
- 32 ounce bag of powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons cream
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 small jar strawberry preserves (not jam!)
Instructions for Making the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place cupcake liners into 2 muffin pans.
Follow the directions on the package to mix up the cake batter. Add the package Kool-Aid mix to the batter, stir well.
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake as directed on the box.
While cupcakes are cooling, mix up the buttercream frosting.
Instructions for Making the Buttercream Frosting:
Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and continue to mix. Add the lemon juice and cream and mix it until fluffy and light. If it’s too stiff, add more cream a little at a time. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar a little at a time.
Pour the strawberry preserves into a small bowl and stir until smooth (of course, there will be some smaller pieces of fruit). Once smooth, add it to buttercream frosting.
Frost the cooled cupcakes using a cake decorating bag and tip or with a simple butter knife. Either works fine! Once frosted, grate some lemon zest over the top. You can then ad a lemon wedge and a slice of strawberry to decorate the cupcakes!
Enjoy!