Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
Sweet and just a little tangy, these strawberry lemon cupcakes are a favorite with kids and adults.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 530kcal
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (for the puree)
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
Buttercream frosting
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons milk, optional
- 1 cup seedless strawberry preserves
Garnish
- 6 fresh strawberries, halved
Instructions
Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a standard muffin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Add lemon juice and zest, 1 cup of diced strawberries, and 1 teaspoon of sugar to a blender. Blend at high speed for 1 minute or until the strawberries are completely pureed. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until mixed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, along with the yogurt, and whisk until smooth.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of strawberry puree and stir. Add in 1/2 of the dry ingredients and stir until well-mixed. Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue stirring until just blended. A few small lumps are fine.
- Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner, about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the center cupcakes comes out clean. Rest on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until smooth.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and continue mixing at medium speed. Add the strawberry preserves, and beat until well mixed.
- If the buttercream is too thick and stiff, add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smoother.
- Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes, and top with halved strawberries.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
You can use the extra strawberry puree in the buttercream instead of the strawberry preserves. However, we found that this can result in a thinner, less stable buttercream because of the extra liquid in the puree.
