Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
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Cupcakes are the perfect treat to combine the fresh, bright flavors of strawberry and lemon. Fill them with lemon curd for an extra level of deliciousness!
Strawberry lemonade, without a doubt, is a flavor combination meant to channel the freshness and lightness of spring. And, as good as the drink itself might be, is there anything better than taking a great combination and turning it into a cupcake? Obviously not. 🙂
To make this fabulous dessert, we start with moist lemon cupcakes. You could definitely leave it at that, or, if you want to take things to the next level, it’s a pretty simple matter to fill each cupcake with a spoonful of smooth, creamy, bright lemon curd.
Store-bought lemon curd would certainly work, but you can also make your own at home, a lot more quickly and easily than you probably think, and the flavor and texture absolutely can’t be beat. I mean, just look!
This is the same lemon cupcake and lemon curd recipe used in my filled lemon cupcakes with cream cheese poppy seed frosting.
Filling Cupcakes, Step-by-Step
If you haven’t filled cupcakes before, it might seem complicated or as though it would require some special equipment – I know I thought so before I had tried it a couple of times! But the happy reality is that it couldn’t be simpler. Just follow the illustrated steps below.
- Start with your baked cupcakes, fully cooled.
- Using a small paring knife, carve out a small inverted cone-shaped area from the center of each cupcake, so each one has a small well. Now it’s easy – using a small spoon or pair of spoons, fill each well with your filling of choice!
- Now you have a couple of options – for simplicity, you could just pipe or spread frosting directly on top. Or, if you want a slightly smoother base, slice the very top off of each cone that you removed from the cupcakes, and place the thin top layer back on top of the curd.
- Now, frost as desired!
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
And here’s where the strawberry comes into play! Even though lemon gets a double chance to shine in these cupcakes, honestly, this frosting is my favorite component of them all.
Now, I know I emphasized just the other day in the post for these strawberry-frosted chocolate sugar cookies the merits of using freeze-dried strawberries in frosting, and believe me, I still believe in those fully!
But, I found a teeny tiny problem when using that frosting for cakes and cupcakes. It’s very difficult, at least for me and my food processor, to pulverize every last tiny little chunk of strawberry down into a fine powder, which meant tiny bits and pieces that got jammed in the tip of my frosting bag. A small but frustrating issue. So, back to the drawing board, and here we are with another type of strawberry frosting – one that relies on fresh strawberries to get that beautiful flavor and color.
Because you’re using fresh strawberries, it does take an extra couple of steps to get the consistency right, but I assure you the result is 100% worthwhile!
These cupcakes provided the perfect burst of spring-like sunshine to my life, and I am imagining them being all sorts of wonderful for a spring or summer party, or any baby shower, bridal shower, little girl’s birthday, etc. Not to be overly gendered – just any occasion that calls for bright, beautiful flavors and lots of pink!
More Cupcake Recipes
- Super Easy Champagne Cupcakes
- Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
- Mojito Cupcakes
- Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
- Paloma Cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- zest and juice of two medium lemons
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 173 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3-4 cups (340-450 grams) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Prepare a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again on medium-high speed until mixture is well-combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture in three batches, beating on low speed after each addition. Mix in the milk, lemon zest, and juice, and beat again on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Divide batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- To fill the cupcakes, use a small paring knife to cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake, making a well about 1-1 1/2 inches deep. Spoon a small amount of lemon curd into the well. If you like, you can slice each cone you removed and replace just the top edge, so the top of the cupcake still has a smooth surface of cake with the curd underneath. (This is definitely not necessary, but is pretty quick and easy and can make the cupcakes slightly easier to frost.)
- To make the frosting, slice green tops from the strawberries, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain puree through a wire sieve to remove seeds; you should have about 3/4 cup of puree.
- Transfer puree to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil gently for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from the heat and place mixture in the fridge to cool.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, then beat in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Turn mixer down to low and beat in 2-3 tablespoons of the chilled, reduced strawberry puree. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is thick and creamy.
- Frost cupcakes as desired – I used a Wilton 1M tip. Enjoy!
Notes
- This makes enough frosting to decorate at least 1 dozen cupcakes. Depending on how generously you frost your batch, you may have extra. (What a shame!)
- Cupcakes adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, frosting slightly adapted from Lil’ Luna.
These are so pretty Monica! Love the lemon cupcake and your homemade lemon curd in the centre. But, yes, that strawberry frosting takes the cake! Looks incredible!
These cupcakes are incredible. I’m literally drooling – lemon curd!? Genius. I would not be able to stop at one! What a PERFECT pink-themed dessert for a baby shower!! My dear, thank you SO much for participating in this baby shower! I feel so lucky! I’ve met so many wonderful friends through food blogging. Much, much love to you!! XO
I’m so in love with this cupcake!!! Light and fluffy cake stuffed with tangy lemon curd and the fresh strawberry frosting sounds absolutely divine. Gorgeous pictures as well!!
ahhh these sound so good! i’d pick a lemon cupcake over all the others any day, and that frosting looks so creamy and full of strawberries!
These sound divine! A nice tart lemon filling is a welcome contrast form the sweetness! Beautiful as well. amazing pictures
Oh my goodness! Those gorgeous cupcakes scream “spring is coming” to me. The lemon curd inside are like little rays of sunshine. Just perfect for this special occasion!
So much flavor going on here! Love the lemon and strawberry together! And your pictures are beautiful!
Monica, these cupcakes are incredible with the lemon curd filling! So stunning! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
So you had me at lemon curd; which I just made a batch of last week. These cupcakes are not only perfect for this virtual baby shower but also for upcoming Spring and Summer.
These are one of the prettiest cupcakes I’ve ever seen! Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of cupcakes as a muffin with some cream on top doesn’t really get me excited. BUT I do love the idea of filling cupcakes with a luscious lemon curd which elevates them to a new level. Perfection, Monica!
Thank you so much, Ben! I know what you mean – I often have the same feeling about super-sweet muffins – sort of like, why didn’t you just add some frosting and call it a cupcake, ha! To each his own, for sure! I have really worked on my cupcake photography, so it means a lot to me that you like the looks of them. And for sure, the lemon curd is a game-changer! Take care!
Those cupcakes look sooooo delectable! Perfect for baby showers, spring and summer!! YUM!! Pinning!
Thanks so much, Kim! Agreed – they just scream “spring party” to me! Have a great day!
SO many delicious components in every bite! These are perfect for a baby shower!!!
Thank you so much, Liz! Agreed – I just love how you get a bit of cake, filling, AND frosting in most bites, at least if you plan it right, ha! Take care!