Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes



I am soooo ready for summer... and everything that comes with it!  I'm ready for the WARM, DRY weather.  I'm ready for all the fresh fruits! I'm ready for all the garden produce! I'm sooo ready to go camping, lounge by the rolling river, & cook a whole bunch of yummy food in the Dutch Ovens! Well, you get the idea, right?

One of my favorite things about summer is FOOD!  Surprise, surprise... right? Hee Hee Hee!  I LoVe Strawberry Lemonade!  It's one of my favorite summertime drinks!  Since, it won't quit raining and I've been wrapped in a blanket all weekend, I decided to bring a little bit of summer into my home in the form of a yummy cupcake! {or 36 of them}  Too bad I'm not artistic and can't paint a big ole' mural of a beach up on a wall.  Of course, it would only be able to fool me until I walked outside to do chores!  And then of course, when it's 100 degrees outside and I'm begging for a cool breeze, I'd have to paint over the damn thing! So scratch that! :)

Anyhow!  These cupcakes were fantastic!  If you are not in high altitudes, you may only want to make 24 cupcakes... but I prefer not to have mine spilled all over the bottom of my not-so-clean-already oven!
And the frosting totally makes the cupcake perfect!  Oh my!  Baby girl decided there wasn't enough on each cupcake so she just grabbed a spoon!  I just love her!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

For Cupcakes:
1 package white cake mix [I like Betty Crocker]
1 (3 oz) package strawberry jello
1 cup mashed fresh strawberries [1 1/2 cups whole=1 cup mashed]
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 eggs

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and jello mix.  Make a well in the center and pour in mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs.  Beat on low speed until blended.  Scrape bowl and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans... I used cupcaked liners.  36 cupcakes for high altitude. 24 cupcakes otherwise.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes are done.  Do the ole' toothpick test :) 
Cool on wire rack until completely cooled!

For Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon curd
1 drop yellow food coloring
1 tablespoon milk if needed

Cream together shortening, butter, and cream cheese until good and smooth.  Add vanilla and combine.  Sift together powdered sugar and salt and slowly add to creamed mixture.  Add lemon juice, lemon curd, and coloring and mix well.  If the frosting is too stiff, add milk.

Frost your cooled cupcakes and garnish however you please.  I had some dehydrated strawberry slices and loved how they looked... simple!

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Happy Cooking!

Teauna

62 comments:

  1. OMG...I gained albs just reading this recipe...and I'm sure I'll gain 5 more after eating it...lol. It sounds so good, well it did until you got to the icing. i think i will add the lemon juice to the batter itself and use regular cream cheese frosting. But it sounds delicious and I am gonna have to try it. Thanks!

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  2. THIS LOOKS DELICIOUS! I think I must make these now!

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  3. These sound great, but what is lemon curd? And where can I find it?

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  4. oh my! I'm drooling!
    i do have a question about the lemon curd. i've never baked with it before so i'm just curious, is that something that you make ahead of time or something you purchase? Thanks!

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  5. where can i find lemon curd?

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  6. You can find the lemon curd recipe online. Its normally used for tarts and pies

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  7. I find Lemon Curd in the area where jams and jellies are in my grocery store.

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  8. could you use canned lemon meringue pie filling??? these look outstanding! can't wait to try them

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  9. Lemon Curd is really easy to make but you can find it in your jam/jelly section in the store.

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  10. Guys, if you don't know what something is (i.e. lemon curd) ... GOOGLE it. ;)

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  11. To answer the question about lemon curd... it is in a sealed jar in the jam/jelly section in your grocery store. It reminds me of a really thick lemon pie filling. I don't think lemon pie filling would be the same, because I can see it thinning out. You don't HAVE to use the lemon curd in the frosting... I just think it gives the frosting a more 'true' lemon flavor versus an extract:) I have seen many recipes for lemon curd, but I don't use it enough to make it. I just like having a jar in my fridge for when I do choose to use it! I hope you all enjoy it! Thanks so much for your great comments! xoxo Teauna

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  12. These sounded so good, I actually went to the store and bought what I didn't have on hand...the frosting is simply amazing and the batter, yes I tried it before baking, you know you do too, is beyond discription!!! Now to wait for the cupcakes to cool.....

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  13. Ummm.... yeah I'll admit it! I actually ate a whole spoonful of the batter and it was yummy! Let me know how you like them when they're all put together. Oh... and P.S. I think I actually ate two cupcakes while they were still hot before I even frosted them. But we won't tell....:)
    xoxo-Teauna

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  14. You can buy Lemon curd at Trader Joe.

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  15. do you have to use real butter? or can you use margarine instead? they sound delish! my husband and daughter will love them!

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  16. I always use butter because margarine has a higher water content. I'm not sure it will make much of a difference in these cupcakes!

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  17. I made these tonight and the batter/cupcakes are delish!! The frosting was way too sweet for me. It's a personal preference thing. I will make these again but I will have to play with the frosting. Thanks for the recipe!

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  18. These looks AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing and SUPER thanks for the shout-out on your friends page - that was incredibly sweet of you!!!

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  19. I cant wait to try these, I was also going to ask about lemon curd, but you have answered it for me already! I am leaving work in 10 minutes and heading to the store to get the ingrediants to make these tonight!! Wish me luck!! I have already posted the recipe on my facebook page and I have had 3 requests to make these for our up coming Jimmy Buffett tailgate cookout!!Fins to the left!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  20. I can't wait to try making these this weekend! They look awesome!

    http://fledermaus89.blogspot.com

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  21. I used Lemon Pie filling.

    And these cupcakes were amazing

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  22. These sound amazing! Can't wait to try them!!

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  23. @ nekelley2002--- did you just substitute the lemon pie filling for the lemon curd? I am so glad it worked out for you!

    Thanks everyone for your great comments! You have all made my week!

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  24. I am totally going to make this and may try the canned Lemon Supreme icing... Can't wait to eat them!!!!

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  25. Has anyone used regular vanilla extract? Is the only reason to use clear for color purposes? Also, has anyone not used crisco and used all butter? Can't wait to make these.

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  26. you can certainly use regular vanilla. .. the clear is strictly for the color ;) and you could also substitute the crisco for butter. It may change the texture just a bit, but I've done it many times.. xoxo - Teauna

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  27. These look delicious, and I like using the jello. I will have to try that next time I make strawberry cupcakes. I am following you from Sweet as Sugar Cookies Sweet for Saturday

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  28. I love strawberry lemonade so I know I would love these. Plus, the colors are so pretty together. It's the perfect combination for summer. Would love it if you would share your recipe on A Well-Seasoned Life's Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

    http://www.wellseasonedlife.com/2011/06/sweet-indulgences-sunday-7.html

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  29. these are gorgeous! Love the flavor combo :)

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  30. Hey! Just thought I would let you know a featured you on Savory Sunday! The new hop is up so I'd love for you to come and share another recipe :)

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  31. These look ABOSULUTELY DELISH!! Thanks for sharing I'm visiting from Savory Sunday I saw your feature there! These are amazing I'm def going to have to try these out!! I'm new to blogging and would love if you came to visit me, you can find me here:
    http://onestopbabygifts.blogspot.com

    Cheers!
    Lilli

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  32. WOW...these are absolutly beautiful! And I LOVVVVE that you use fresh strawberries! So perfect for summer:)

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  33. These look aaamazing! I can't wait to try them. I love the combination of strawberry lemonade, in cake form it's probably even better!

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  34. Made these tonight and am loving them. The strawberry cupcakes have a really subtle flavor and aren't overwhelming. I love that they don't taste all fake and chemically like so many other strawberry cake recipes do. They do sink a litle bit so next time I'll really fill them to the tops and get 24 instead of being so cautious and getting 30. And the icing? That is insane. The lemon curd is such genius and does such wonderful things to the icing, I added an extra 2 T. to kick it up even more. This is one of the best lemon buttercreams I've ever tasted. Bravo!!

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  35. Wow! The response on these cupcakes has made me so giddy! Thanks so much for all your great comments! Every one of them puts a big smile on my face! I love being able to be part of others enjoying their time in the kitchen!

    lots of love!
    Happy Cooking!
    Teauna

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  36. Can you give me a conversion for the 2 pounds of powdered sugar? Is that equal to 7 and 1/2 cups? Thanks! I am making these tomorrow evening for my brother in law's wedding rehearsal dinner on Thursday! :)

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  37. to answer your question about the amount (cups) per pound of powdered sugar... there is usually a little over 3 1/2 cups per pound. So 7 1/2 cups is about as close as you can get. :) I always just use a full 2 lb bag of powdered sugar. I'm so excited you're making them! And for a wedding rehearsal dinner! Yay! You're going to be the talk of the party! :) Please let us know how everyone like them! Thanks for visiting :)

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  38. Made these for a bridal shower at work, they turned out AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  39. Heather (the Anonymous above)June 8, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Yes, I saw on the bag of the sugar at the store that it was a 2 pound bag! HAHA! Thanks for answering so quickly. Does the frosting need to be refrigerated after it is piped on the cupcakes? Promise...my last question! :)

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  40. Heather! No, it doesn't need to be refrigerated unless it's warm and you think it may melt off! But it's good to set out! :) Good luck! Send pictures!

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  41. These look so yummy and refreshing!

    I would like to invite you to link up to
    Made it on Monday, a weekly recipe link I host on my blog.

    http://larkscountryheart.blogspot.com/

    Link ups are open every WED.-SAT.

    I hope you will join in on the fun! :)

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  42. Those cupcakes are simply gorgeous! They'd brighten up anyone's day. They also made the Top 5 for last week's Sweets for a Saturday. Good for you!

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  43. Yours cupcakes are amazing!!! and I adore lemon curd, so these are georgeous!!!! Gloria

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  44. I am attempting to make these right now! I did notice my first batch the cupcake batter didn't rise much so I filled them up more with the batter. I CANNOT wait to try them!

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  45. These look delicious and summery! Thanks for sharing. Found you on Sweets for a Saturday, and glad I did!

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  46. Just finished making these - they are delicious!!!!! The icing was a touch sweet for my liking, so I just added another quick squirt of lemon juice and it cut the sweetness down - perfect! Thanks so much for this recipe!

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  47. Hi!
    I would love for you to come and link up at A Themed Baker's Sunday, where this week is a sweet theme: Random! Yep, Whatever sweety deliciousness you made this week, you can post!
    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/06/themed-bakers-sunday-9.html
    Alyssa

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  48. I love the recipe title and these cupcakes are very pretty too.

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  49. Thanks for linking up your recipes at Cast Party Wednesday. I hope you come back tomorrow and share some more of your awesome recipes!
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you there!

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  50. I just made these for a birthday party. OH MY!!! WONDERFUL! And yes, it made 36 cupcakes. If you are thinking about making them, you must! Very easy and melt in your mouth good!

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  51. Made these tonight!!! They are fantastic and I love that lemon curd, even though I had never heard of it before!!! Simply amazing, Thanks so much!

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  52. this recipe Looks amazing. I Would like to make as a cake, can you help with that? Should I still use the same measurements as I would for cupcakes?? thanks! :)

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  53. These look so yummy. Love your blog come and check out my blog

    www.thedailysmash101.blogspot.com

    Have a great day

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  54. Love the addition of the lemon curd. I posted a recipe on food.com that's almost identical.

    Nice pics!

    http://www.food.com/recipe/scrumptious-strawberry-lemonade-cupcakes-320396

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  55. I saw this recipe last year shortly after you originally posted it. I must say, I have never had so many people ask me for a recipe as I have with these cupcakes! They are absolutely perfect! The frosting is something I've had to work with a little because it seems a little thin, but they are to die for none the less! Thanks for sharing the perfect summer cupcake recipe! Excited to buy some strawberries and make them for a party this weekend! :)

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  56. These cupcakes were a complete hit at my husband's workplace! I baked these cupcakes exactly as written and, despite being at high altitude (Denver, CO), they came out perfectly!

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  57. Hi! I was wondering... Would it be alright to use FROZEN strawberries? Perhaps if I drain them first? Thank you! I can't wait to make them!

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    2. I'm sure you could substitute frozen strawberries for the fresh strawberries. You will just want to make sure to drain any extra liquid so the texture stays the same! You're on the right track! Thanks for visiting my blog!

      xoxo

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  58. A few things about the icing: I used lemon extract instead of curd, I guessed at it but I think I used about 2 tsp. I also zested a lemon and used that for the icing. I wanted my icing to have a little more color in it, so I used 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring. And I used half the powdered sugar, more because I didn't have that much on hand, but also because that sounds like way too much and would be really sweet! Mine is a little bit tart, probably more than the actual recipe would be, but it's great! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

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  59. I made these (with a minor modification) for my daughter's 6th birthday party. They were a hit! I didn't have time to make my own frosting so I used store-bought lemon frosting and it turned out great!

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  60. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Sooooo delicious and refreshing! I've made these more times than I can count in the past year+ and every time it is a hit. Tonight I am making the frosting with homemade lemon curd from a nearby winery..... cannot wait to eat them!!!

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