Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Printable Version)

Fluffy strawberry-lemon cupcakes with creamy buttercream frosting, ideal for summer celebrations.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Cupcakes

01 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ¼ teaspoon salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
09 - 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
10 - ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
11 - ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries

→ Lemon-Strawberry Buttercream

12 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree (blended and strained)
15 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
17 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
03 - Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Incorporate eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Blend in lemon juice and zest.
05 - Mix in half the dry ingredients, followed by buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
06 - Gently fold chopped strawberries into batter to prevent streaking.
07 - Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
08 - Bake for 16–18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
09 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
10 - Blend in strawberry puree, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Whip until light and fluffy.
11 - Pipe or spread buttercream onto completely cooled cupcakes. Garnish with additional strawberries or lemon zest if desired.

# Quick Tips:

01 -
  • Fresh strawberry pieces create little bursts of fruit in every single bite
  • The combination of tangy lemon and sweet strawberry is like summer captured in a cupcake liner
  • These freeze beautifully, so you can pull out instant sunshine on rainy days
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients make all the difference in how these cupcakes come together
  • Overmixing the batter after adding flour will make your cupcakes tough, so stop as soon as combined
  • Strawberry puree must be well strained or your buttercream will have specks throughout
03 -
  • Greek yogurt can stand in for buttermilk in a pinch, though the texture changes slightly
  • Extra lemon zest in the frosting is the secret to really making that citrus flavor sing

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