Summer is coming and I’m beginning to think of lazy days and lemonade. We just had a horrible Winter Storm last week and although the snow is almost melted now, having a Spring snow storm is down right depressing. I took pictures of the morning after storm and you can see how our property looks after 12 hours of sleet, freezing rain and snow.
To boost our moods I decided to make some happy cupcakes. I’ve not made cupcakes in a few weeks and I miss them! What is not happy about a little cake full of sweetness and sunshine!
For the Lemonade Cupcakes I adapted my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe from “Small Batch Baking” by Debby Maugans Nakos.
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp Instant Pink Lemonade Mix (I used Crystal Lite)
4 large strawberries, carefully diced
Makes 9-10 regular sized cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 10 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.
Cream butter, sugar and lemonade mix until fluffy. Add vanilla, soda, salt and eggs yolks. Mix in buttermilk and gradually add flour.
Clean berries and remove the stem. With a very sharp knife slice the berries and then dice into 1/4″ pieces careful to not crush the berries. If the berries are crushed and then added to the cupcakes, there will be too much moisture and your cupcakes will not bake properly.
Fill each baking cup with about a TBL of batter. Then sprinkle in each cup 5-6 pieces of fresh strawberry. Then add more batter per cup filling each to about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a test straw can be cleanly removed.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle’s Cupcakes
8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.
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I can’t decide what’s prettier–your muffins, or the pictures of your land after the snow. The cupcakes look perfect for Spring–and so pretty!
I agree with Elle above me
The cupcakes look fantastic, the surrounding (although you’re sick of the bad weather) is awesome too!Definitely a recipe I should try, just need to find a recplacement for the instant lemonade thingie 
Oh my, are those gorgeous! Your piping is wayyyy better than mine! Pretty, and pretty tasty, I bet!
These sound delicious! I like the sour/sweet combo.
I MADE THESE CUPCAKES. THESE CUPCAKES ARE GREAT THOUGH. GOOD FOR POOL PARTIES
Can’t wait to try these cupcakes! Thanks for the recipe!
These cupcakes definitely look bright and cheery–the perfect antidote to dreary winter weather. I just love the flavors you’ve got going on, too! Wonderfully reminiscent of the spring weather you should be having
These cupcakes are simply stunning! I absolutely adore how you paired the sugary white with a star tipped pink, it’s really quite an extraordinary frost job! I may have to wait a week or two to truly get summer inspired, but this recipe is definitely on my list!
Wow, these look great, i can’t wait to try these!
What a nice way to wake up- so cute
What a creative recipe! I love the flavor combo!
These sound delicious, and I love how you decorated them!
Mmm, these would definitely cheer me up!!
What a perfect cupcake for summertime. These would instantly make me happy on a cloudy day.
These are really beautiful cupcakes – love how you’ve decorated them!
I’ve been seeing a lot of strawberry lemonade recipes for the summer. What a great idea to make cupcakes! These look gorgeous. I can’t pipe icing to save my life.
[...] Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes [...]
[...] them up a few weeks ago. They are delicious and so far one of my favorites. If you’d like the recipe please click here and copy and [...]
[...] Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes — Big Black Dog This one will definitely brighten up a cold winter’s day with thoughts of spring/summer. [...]
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I made these Saturday for a party and have been craving them ever since. The store did not have pink lemonade except in a large version, so I opted for raspberry lemonade and it was perfect. Thank you again!
[...] Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes [...]