Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe – Perfect for Summer!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are moist and sweet cupcakes that are tangy thanks to the yummy lemon cupcake and sweet buttercream frosting! 

What better symbol of Summer is there than lemonade?

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. 

This cupcake 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 needed to make these cupcakes in your pantry and fridge!

Before you get started on this easy recipe to make Pink Lemonade Cupcakes from scratch, here are a few helpful hints:

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THESE PRETTY PINK LEMONADE CUPCAKES?

Sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, milk, lemon extract, red food coloring, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salt, and milk/heavy cream. 

WHAT DOES CREAMING BUTTER MEAN?

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.

Creaming butter and sugar together is one of the most important steps in baking. 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.  Once you add your sugar into the butter, you want blend it together until it’s fluffy and doesn’t stick to the sides of your mixing bowl. 

Also, 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.

HOW DO I MAKE SURE I DON”T ADD TOO MUCH FOOD COLORING INTO THE BATTER? 

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 symmetrical 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.

WHAT TYPE OF FROSTING DID YOU USE TO FROST THESE CUPCAKES?

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.

Looking for more pretty Pink food ideas? Check out these yummy ideas! Our Pink Pinwheel sugar cookies will look great on a tray for a tea party in the Spring!  Our yummy homemade Strawberry butter is a great way to use up your fresh strawberries!  If you are looking for a yummy twist on breakfast, then our sweet and tangy muffins full of Lemon and Strawberry flavors will quickly become a favorite! 

This recipe was originally  published on Remaking June Cleaver; aka now Momskoop.com. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are moist and sweet cupcakes that are tangy thanks to the yummy lemon cupcake and sweet buttercream frosting! 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 5 - 8 drops red food coloring

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• (up to) 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

line cupcake pan with cupcake papers

Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in eggs one at a time

Add vanilla and stir

Combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix well

Stir in milk until batter is smooth

Add lemon extract while keeping mixer on medium

Continue to mix until fully blended

Add red food coloring and mix until blended to a light pink

Place half of batter in a separate bowl and set aside

Add additional food coloring drops to one bowl and mix until blended to a dark pink

Fill each cupcake paper 1/3 with light mixture

Repeat second third with dark mixture

Continue until cups are filled

Bake 20 - 25 minutes until tops spring back when touched

FROSTING

Cream butter on medium speed until smooth

Turn mixer to low and add 3 cups of powdered sugar

Blend well

Increase mixer to medium and add vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of milk or cream. Beat for 3 minutes.

If frosting is too soft, add remaining sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add remaining milk/cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 791Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 206mgCarbohydrates: 140gFiber: 0gSugar: 125gProtein: 4g

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