Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

• Cupcake
  • 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups (400 grams) sugar
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 cup whole milk, divided
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
• Lemon Syrup
  • 5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 Tbsp powdered sugar
• Strawberry Frosting
  • 1 cup dehydrated strawberries
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tbsp milk
  • 1 pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and prepare cupcake pan with liners.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated.
• Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• At a low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with the lemon juice and milk. Beat until just combined and do not over mix!
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. If the edges start to brown, they’re done.
• Let the cupcakes cool until in the pan until they can be handled (5 – 10 minutes)
• Meanwhile combine 5 Tbsp lemon juice with powdered sugar in a microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute to make a syrup. If it starts to boil over, stop the microwave to allow the bubbles to subside. The sugar should be completely dissolved once done.
• Move the cupcakes to a wire rack or plate to continue cooling but do not cool completely before the next steps.
• Poke holes in the top of the cupcakes with a fork or other thin skewer about 3/4 into each cupcake.
• Pour a teaspoon of the lemon syrup over the top of each cupcake slowly. The holes should allow the syrup to absorb into the cupcake.

Strawberry Frosting

• Add the dehydrated strawberries to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Sift in half of the powdered sugar, the salt, and the ground strawberries and beat until fully incorporated.
• Sift in the remaining powdered sugar
• Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.