Pretty in Pink: Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Baby Shower: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes for Amy and Heidi Marie

Pink lemonade. A childhood phenomenon. Where are there pink lemons? Why was pink lemonade so much more beautiful and tasty than natural lemonade? Pink lemons would be so beautiful. Can you imagine a pink lemon tree? Ah, wonderland! Pink lemonade cupcakes are a must for any gals summer get together.

Certainly, they were on the menu for the baby shower for Amy in honor of the birth of little Heidi Marie. But, a can of pink lemonade in the mix? No-oo!

I am particularly proud of this recipe as I developed it from scratch for the Thermomix machine with real food (no canned pink lemonade) and look at that texture! The cake is moist and sparkles with the vibrant flavour of pink lemonade summers! This is not a lemon cupcake. It just is not.

Is it the pink? What is it? This little ditty is most definitely a celebration of that magical pink lemonade flavour from the many childhood summers where a frosty glass of ice cold pink lemonade heralded in those lazy hazy crazy days of summer. One sip, and we would all run to don our itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis!

Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes: Making the Cake

Creaming the butter and the sugar together: a basic first step to classic cake making.

Plenty of gorgeous mouth-puckering lemon zest.

Dry ingredients gently folded in with an ample dash of vibrant colouring.

Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes: Making the Cupcakes

Fill the papers about 3/4 full and the little cakes will mound into plump moist little puffy rounds.

Pink lemonade cupcakes: so pink and so pretty!

Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes: Making the Icing

No images for making and piping on the icing, but it is very straight forward combination of sugar, butter, fresh lemon juice, zest and food colouring. The juice and zest with the buttery icing is addictive. Cupcakes can sometimes be just purveyors of icing. But, this cupcake is a moist delicious blast into summers past topped with a sublime silken sanctuary.

Real men don’t eat Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. These are most definitely for “woman’s only” or “little girl’s only” and we are so happy they scream femininity as they are scrumptious.

Was I the only one who thought so? I hope others that attended the shower will chime in with their opinion about the treats served. Of course, it is noted how hilarious it is that I am so unabashedly praising my work.  That doesn’t really leave room for independent reviews of friends or guest, does it? I am OK with that. I am seriously interested in hearing about “favourites” and what wasn’t a favourite and why. Clearly, this was one of mine.

Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are a perfect pretty in pink girly summer celebration for a baby shower, wedding shower a birthday party or a simple surprise after a casual lunch! Happy, happy lazy hazy crazy days of summer that lie ahead.

5 from 1 vote

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Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Homemade Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are a perfect pretty in pink girly summer celebration for a baby shower, wedding shower a birthday party or a simple surprise after a casual lunch!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 22 cupcakes

Author Valerie Lugonja

Ingredients

Ingredients for Cupcake

• 185 g or 3/4 cup salted butter , softened
• 330 g or 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 15 g or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 15 g or 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 lemons: zest of 4 lemons
• 125 g or 1/2 cup juice (see note)
• 350 g or 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 185-190 g or 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1-2 full teaspoons red food coloring , to colour as desired

For Pink Lemonade Frosting:

• 230 grams or 1 cup salted butter , softened
• 330 grams or 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 lemon , zest
• 45 grams or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2-3 drops red food coloring
• 12 pink lemon jelly candy wedges (yellow exterior, pink interior), halved

Materials Needed:

• Piping bag with piping tip
• Cupcake papers
• Cupcake holders , optional

Instructions

Instructions for Cupcake

1. Preheat oven to 350F; line two large muffin pans with 22 paper liners
2. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; add sugar and beat until light and fluffy (3 to 4 minutes)
3. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, vanilla extract, and baking powder
4. Whip to combine; add zest and juice
5. Turning the mixer to low, slowly add flour and milk with red food colouring until just combined; scrape down sides of bowl
6. Still mixing on low, adjust to add more red food coloring, until desired pink color is achieved
7. Divide batter evenly between 22 cupcake liners; bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
8. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack

Instructions for Frosting

1. Place softened butter and cream cheese into bowl; cream with electric mixer on high until very smooth (no clumps)
2. Scrape down sides of bowl; add the lemon zest and juice
3. Turning the mixer to low, slowly add powdered sugar until achieving desired consistency
4. Add 2 to 3 drops red food coloring, until desired pink color is achieved
5. Place frosting into large piping bag with wide piping tip, clipped closed on piping end (to avoid icing running out end when filled)
6. Pipe large mounds of frosting on top of each cupcake; decorate with a pink lemon jelly candy

Instructions for Cupcake in Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 350F; line two large muffin pans with 22 paper liners
2. Weigh butter and sugar in TM bowl; combine for 15 seconds on speed 4
3. Scrape down sides of bowl; combine for 15 seconds on speed 4
4. Scrape down sides of bowl; combine for 1 minute on speed 3
5. Weigh vanilla extract and baking powder into TM bowl and add eggs; whip to combine for 2 minutes on speed 4
6. Weigh juice into TM bowl, add zest; mix for 10 seconds on speed 3.5 to combine
7. Weigh flour and milk into TM bowl with red food colouring; mix for 15 seconds on speed 3 until just combined
8. Scrape down sides of bowl; add more red food coloring on speed 2, until desired pink color is achieved (continue until desired colour is achieved)
9. Divide batter evenly between 22 cupcake liners; bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
10. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack

Instructions for Frosting in Thermomix

1. Weigh butter and sugar into TM bowl; cream for 30 seconds on speed 3-4; scrape down sides of bowl, and continue for 30 more seconds, or until completely creamy (no lumps)
2. Scrape down sides of bowl; add lemon zest, lemon juice and red food colouring
3. Set time for 30 seconds at speed at 2 to combine; repeat, as needed until fluffy and pink (add more colouring, as desired)
4. Place frosting into large piping bag with wide piping tip, clipped closed on piping end (to avoid icing running out end when filled)
5. Pipe large mounds of frosting on top of each cupcake; decorate with a 1/2 pink lemon jelly candy

Recipe Notes

Lemon Juice
In an average lemon, there is usually 2 tablespoons of juice in each 1/2 or 1/4 cup in the entire lemon