Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Not made with strawberry flavoured gelatin!)
These light and fluffy Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes use only real strawberries (no flavoured gelatin mixes!) to provide the pretty soft pinkness and delicate strawberry flavour they deliver. The strawberry lemon buttercream topping them is studded with real strawberries, too!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 pound frozen strawberries microwaved just long enough to get them thawed and juicy
- 16 tablespoons butter 2 sticks or 8 ounces, by weight, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar 12 1/4 ounces by weight
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
- 5 large egg whites
- 2 3/4 cups 11 ounces you can substitute all-purpose flour, if necessary, by weight) cake flour
- up to one cup whole milk
For the Strawberry Lemon Frosting:
- 1 stick butter 8 tablespoons or 4 ounces by weight, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar 1 pound, by weight
- The strawberry solids left from the cupcake recipe mashed thoroughly with a potato masher or pastry blender
- up to 6 tablespoons of whole milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
Optional:
- Fresh strawberries for garnish
Instructions
To Make the Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:
- Put a fine-mesh sieve over a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in the strawberries, and press the strawberries to release as much juice as you can. Put the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, reduce the strawberry juices until you have about 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup and it is darkened and thick. Pour those into a liquid measuring cup and add enough whole milk to bring the level to 1 cup. Use a fork or small whisk to combine the two until even. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a batter paddle, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Add one egg white at a time to the butter mixture and beat well after every addition, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix until evenly combined, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add 1/3 of the strawberry milk and mix until even. Repeat this process until you reach the final addition of strawberry milk, which should be stirred in by hand to prevent overmixing.
- Prepare 24 cupcake liners (either free-standing on a pan or in cupcake/muffin tins). Scoop batter into the cupcake liners until each is about 2/3 full. Tap the pan on the counter once or twice to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Carefully turn the finished cupcakes out onto a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
To Prepare the Strawberry Lemon Frosting and Frost the Cupcakes:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer) beat the butter on high until it is light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Then, with the mixer on high, beat in the strawberry solids, lemon extract, and the milk -1 tablespoon at a time- until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Use an offset spatula to smear the buttercream on the cupcakes or load it into a pastry bag with a big tip to pipe on the frosting.
- If desired, garnish finished cupcakes with whole or sliced fresh strawberries.
- Store leftover cupcakes covered lightly in the refrigerator.