With summer in winding down, I wanted to make something that would add a sweet touch to our afternoon pool play time or help us celebrate our family picnics at the park. What better symbol of summer than lemonade?

This recipe is an easy way to have a delicious treat while you enjoy the warm days and relaxed evenings with your family.  You should already have the ingredients need to make these cupcakes in your pantry and fridge!  To make these pretty Pink Lemonade Cupcakes, all you will need is the following:  sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, milk, lemon extract, red food coloring, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salt, and milk/heavy cream. 

Before we go on to the Pink Lemonade Cupcakes recipe, I thought you might like to check out these fun other pink goodies!

And here are a few baking tips before we begin:

For some reason, creaming butter is one of my favorite steps. I always get a little excited when it's time to set out the sticks in preparation for my next sweet adventure. The texture and temperature of your butter can make or break your baked good. You want to make sure it's soft, but never melting. Think of hand scooped ice cream - that's where you want your butter to be. When adding flour (or other powdered ingredients to your butter) always start on the lowest setting so you don't find yourself cleaning the 'dust' from your mixer and counter top.

There is no 'right' amount of red food coloring for this recipe - the drops are up to you. I wanted a more defined, obvious color difference in my layers. But, you may want something more subtle. Add half the drops then mix well to judge your color. If you want more vibrancy - add more. Remember: you're going to split your batter so go with the lightest color first.

I used a spoon to place my layers because I wasn't concentrating on a perfect layer. If you desire something more symetrical you can use an icing bag or other tool that is more precise. My biggest challenge was keeping the family from running (read: stomping) through the kitchen while I filled the cups. I'm sure my two year old's antics led to the more....creative...layers. But, if your color layers blend or shift - don't worry! An abstract flow of the two colors can create a beautiful cupcake; they don't need to be perfect.

With this batch I used a classic butter cream frosting. But, if you're crunched for time, a marshmallow fluff works just as well. Wanting to really capture the summer feel, I decorated with butterfly gummies and colored sugar. Ironically - the gummies are sugar free.

Here is how to make these yummy Pink Lemonade Cupcakes!

 

Looking for more pretty Pink food ideas? Check out these yummy ideas!

Pink Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

Homemade Strawberry Butter Recipe - So Easy to Make!

Lemon Strawberry Muffins