Our pink lemonade cupcakes are light, bright and refreshing. These pretty in pink cupcakes have a sweet yet tangy citrus flavor throughout the frosting and cupcake.
Nothing's better on a warm summer day than a cool glass of lemonade. So, why not try that flavor in a dessert too with these pink lemonade cupcakes.
When we were developing this recipe we wanted it to have all of the classic flavor of pink lemonade, but see something super easy and fast to make. Which is why we made the cupcake as a doctored cake mix.
Using boxes mixes is common to do with different desserts to help make them faster and easier like with the lemon cake mix cookies or these red velvet brownies.
Cupcake Ingredients
- White Cake Mix
- Oil
- Egg Whites
- Water
- Lemon Extract
- Pink Food Color
See recipe card for quantities.
Buttercream Ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- Butter - unsalted
- Lemon Juice
- Pink Food Color
Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few different ways we've made these if you're looking to change up the ingredients a little.
- Make them from scratch - We used a vanilla cake mix to make these quick and easy. But you could certainly make them from scratch with this mini cupcake recipe.
- Use lemonade mix - ramp up the lemonade flavor by mixing in two to three tablespoons of lemonade mix in both the cupcake batter as well as the buttercream.
If you love light and fruity cupcakes you may also want to try these raspberry cupcakes.
Instructions
Use these easy to follow instructions to bake up a batch of your own pink lemonade cupcakes.
Step one: Fill your cupcake tin with liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step two: Add cake mix, oil, water, egg whites, lemon extract and pink food coloring to a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
Step three: fill cupcake liners about ⅔ of the way full and bake for around 15 minutes until center is set and edges are browned.
Step four: add butter and half the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
Step five: add remaining powdered sugar and lemon extract and mix until well combined. Then bump speed up to medium and mix for another 2 - 3 minutes until fluffy.
Step six: add in a few drops of pink food coloring and mix until combined.
Step seven: add frosting to piping bag with a large star tip. Place a large dollop and swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.
Hint: to give an additional flare, cut pink and white straws in half and place one in each cupcake.
Recipe Tips for Success
- Cool before frosting - make sure that the cupcakes are fully cooled before adding any frosting or it will melt off.
- Color variation - if you want a darker or lighter colored pink, you can change up the amount of food coloring. Gel coloring tends to work the best.
- Piping frosting - make sure that frosting is the right consistency. It should be able to be scooped up without drooping, but not so thick that it doesn't easily move through the piping bag.
Storage
You can store these for up to 5 days if kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Or, freeze them for up to 6 months. Make sure to flash freeze first and then wrap and package so that the frosting doesn't get crushed.
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake Tin
- Hand or Stand Mixer
- Measuring cups and spoon
- Cupcake Liners
- Pink paper straws cut into thirds, optional
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
For pink lemonade cupcakes
- 1 box White Cake Mix
- .5 cup Oil
- 4 Egg Whites
- 1.5 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Extract
- Pink Food Color
For Pink Lemonade Buttercream
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- Pink Food Color
Instructions
For Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
- Line cupcake tin with liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine cake mix, .5 cup oil, 4 egg whites, 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon lemon extract and a few drops of pink food coloring in a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Fill cupcakes liners ⅔ of the way full with cupcake batter and bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned and center is set.
For pink lemonade frosting:
- Add 1 cup of butter and 2 cups of powdered sugar to mixing bowl. Mix on low until combined.
- Add remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and mix on low until combined. Then, bump up speed to medium and mix for around 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add a drop or two of pink food coloring and mix until well combined.
- Transfer frosting to piping bag with a large star tip.
- Once cupcakes have cooled, pipe a large mound on frosting on top of each and add paper straw if desired.
Notes
- Use pink lemonade drink mix 2 - 3 tablespoons in both the cupcakes and buttercream for extra strong pink lemonade flavor.
- Make them from scratch by making a vanilla cupcake base instead of using boxed cake mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
