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Pink lemonade cupcakes are the perfect combination of sweet and tangy lemon flavor. They are great for any occasion, but a baby shower is the perfect place for a lovely little pink cupcake.
Cupcakes are my favorite way to eat cake. It is the perfect portion control solution! Some of our favorites include these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes which taste just like the cookie. If you are a chocolate fan be sure and try these Red Velvet Cupcakes and these Lemon Curd Cupcakes are heavenly!!
Pretty in Pink Cupcakes
Who doesn’t love a tall ice cold glass of pink lemonade on a hot summer day!? It’s perfection. This recipe for pink lemonade cupcakes is another delicious way to enjoy the flavor of pink lemonade. Not only are they delicious but they are so pretty and perfect for a party. Years ago I threw a Pretty in Pink Sweet 16th birthday party for my daughter and these cupcakes would have been perfect. A baby shower for a baby girl would be another perfect occasion to make these cupcakes. I also made these cupcakes for my mom’s 80th birthday celebration.
But trust me on this one, don’t wait for a party to make these pretty pink lemonade cupcakes!
How to Make Cupcakes with A Cake Mix
This recipe starts with a cake mix which makes it so easy and quick. Of course, like any good cupcake recipe that uses a cake mix, we doctor it up a little bit. In addition to using the ingredients called for on the back of the cake mix you will also add in some lemon zest, vanilla and sweetened pink lemonade drink powder.
The pink lemonade drink powder gives the cupcake a nice subtle lemon flavor.
The real lemon goodness in this cupcake comes from the frosting. It is a basic buttercream frosting that you add some thawed frozen pink lemonade concentrate instead of milk or cream. The lemonade concentrate gives the frosting a nice subtle pink color also. If you want the frosting to be a bit pinker, like mine is, add a few drops of pink food coloring. I love to pipe my frosting on with a piping bag and a large round tip but you can also spread it on with a knife.
This recipe can also be used to make a pink lemonade cake instead of cupcakes. I have also done a combination and used 1/3 of the batter to make cupcakes and the rest to make a small cake using my 6 inch cake pans.
These pink lemonade cupcakes are very tender, light and fluffy with the hint of pink lemonade. I think my favorite part though is the buttercream frosting.
Cupcake Tips
Ingredients. Be sure your ingredients are room temperature and they will combine more smoothly.
Cupcake Liners. I always use a liner because it makes removing, frosting and handling the cupcake so much easier. If you don’t have liners be sure and spray the muffin tin well. I always use this spray for easy removal.
Scoop. To make sure my cupcakes are all the same size I always use a scoop and fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Don’t over fill your cupcakes.
Cooling. Always allow your cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin and then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. The heat from the pan will continue to cook them so don’t leave them in there too long.
Some other fun recipes that use lemonade include:
- 3 Ingredient Pink Lemonade Pie
- Frosted Strawberry Lemonade
- Lemonade Ice Cream
- Chick Fil A Frosted Lemonade
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Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix including ingredients called for on back
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp sweetened pink lemonade drink powder
Frosting
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 3-5 Tbsp frozen pink lemonade concentrate thawed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- pink food coloring if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line pan with cupcake liners
- Mix cake batter according to directions.
- Add in lemon zest, vanilla and lemonade powder.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake according to directions on cake box (about 15-18 minutes). Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool.
Frosting
- Beat butter in mixer on medium high for 2-3 minutes or until pale and creamy. Reduce speed to medium and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition increasing speed to high after all sugar is added. Add in vanilla and lemonade concentrate until the desired consistency is reached.
- Beat until buttercream is smooth.
- Cake recipe from Paula Deen
Nutrition Facts:
Originally posted April 24, 2012
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jen kay says
Hi there.
I am in Australia and finally got my hands on some pink lemonade powder from the usa food store today. I can’t wait to make them. Just a quick question though. How do I do the concentrate?? Is it as simple as adding some water to the powder or is it different altogether?? I keep reading concentrate thawed so thinking it is different. They dont sell anything like that in our supermarkets over here so I have no idea. Hope u can help me. Thanks so much and sorry to be a pain.
Jen xx
Leigh Anne says
The powder goes directly into the cake mix – you do not add water to it. For the frosting you use lemonade concentrate which is different than the powdered lemonade. The concentrate is found in the frozen section of the grocery store with all the juices. If you can’t find the concentrate in Australia you could mix up some of the powder with water but just make it really heavy (maybe 2-3 times the amount of powder to water ratio as usual)and use that liquid in the frosting. Hope this helps.
Wynee says
Made these to celebrate a friend’s success on beating breast cancer and in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. These were adorable and everyone loved the cupcakes. I used Crystal Light for the drink powder mix and put hot pink sprinkles on top. Thanks for a great recipe!
Leigh Anne says
So good to know that Crystal Light works. Congratulations to your friend on beating breast cancer!So glad you enjoyed them.
savannah says
These cupcakes are waaaay too sweet. I didn’t even know something could be this sweet.
Victoria says
Thanks Leigh Anne for the quick answer to my question and this great cupcake recipe. I made them last night for a recipe dinner group that I host each month “The Queen’s Dish” and they were a big hit. The frosting was yummy and definitely made these cupcakes a Pink Lemonade Star! I changed the cake recipe a bit to make the cake more dense by adding a pkg. of instant Vanilla pudding, 1 cup of water, 4 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil, the drink powder, lemon zest and 1 tsp of vanilla.
Victoria says
Leigh Anne,
What kind of sweetened lemonade drink powder did you use in this recipe? I don’t buy drink powders so I’m not familiar with them.
Thanks.
Leigh Anne says
I used Countrytime.