Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 box lemon cake mix

  15.25 ounce
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup lemonade
• ½ cup salted butter

  (1 stick), melted
• 1 cup fresh strawberries

  chopped
• 1 tub strawberry cream cheese spread

  8 ounces, room temperature
• ½ cup salted butter

  (1 stick)room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Fresh halved strawberries

  optional garnish
• Fresh lemon slices

  optional garnish

Instructions

• 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cupcake tins with
  cupcake liners.
• 2 Whisk together the lemon cake mix and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl until
  combined.
• 3 Use a hand or stand mixer to beat in the eggs, lemonade and melted butter until
  a smooth, fluffy batter forms.
• 4 Fold in the fresh strawberries.
• 5 Gently scoop batter into each cupcake liner, filling them about ⅔ full of
  batter.
• 6 Bake for 19-23 minutes or until the top springs back when tapped and a toothpick
  inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• 7 Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
• 8 To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese spread and salted butter
  with a hand or stand mixer in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.
• 9 Gradually add in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating on medium until
  the frosting is thick and creamy.
• 10 Once you’ve added 1-2 cups of powdered sugar add in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  and beat well.
• 11 Continue adding powdered sugar, beating on medium, until you have a thick,
  pipeable frosting. If it gets too thick you can add an additional teaspoon of
  lemon juice to get the consistency you need.
• 12 Once the frosting is ready, scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a 1M Wilton
  tip and pipe frosting onto each cupcake in a spiral pattern.
• 13 Garnish with fresh strawberry halves and lemon slices, optional.

Nutrition Info