Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes are light and sweet, and full of tart lemon flavor. The strawberry buttercream is impossible to resist.
I feel sorry for winter babies. Being one myself, I know the envy that is birthday pool parties, slip and slides and barbecue parties, or, well, pretty much any outdoor party you can think of.
When February rolled around every year, all I wanted was a pool party with an ice cream sundae bar like my sister.
So I feel for Little E, my soon-to-be niece, over there in Ohio. Baby Girl, I know you will wish for birthday parties with swimwear and grilled meats.
But I promise that your mama and I will do everything we can to make your winter birthday super sunshiny and happy every year.
In case you haven’t heard, my dearest friend in all the land (to quote Kristan) is about to have a baby girl.
Our little ones will be just about 3 months apart, and I already have secret machinations to betroth them to one another as soon as possible so that Jamie and I can be family f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
Sounds like a solid plan, right?
Back to cupcakes. The thing about the internet is that your bestest friends can sometimes live hundreds of miles from you.
As much as I’d like to take my little tush to Ohio and throw Jamie the rockin’-est baby shower (Not that she’d actually want one – stubborn girl), it’s really not an option when I have my own newborn and the weather has made traveling incredibly stupid lately.
So we’re throwing Jamie our own little baby shower right here on the interwebnets.
I made the most delicious of cupcakes for mah girl, because we all know Jamie loves a good cupcake.
You’ve seen her chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes, right? And her Rolo cupcakes are not to be missed.
I wanted something light and bright, with a sweet little surprise inside, just like Jamie and her baby girl.
These Strawberry Lemon cupcakes are just the ticket. The cake is just the right amount of lemon-y and sweet.
Tucked inside each one is a fresh strawberry. And each one is topped with a light strawberry frosting made with yummy preserves for an extra sweet finish.
These are exactly the sort of cupcakes you’d want to see on the dessert table of a baby girl’s baby shower.
Something summery to help you forget that it’s silly cold outside.
Jamie, you know I couldn’t live without you. You make me laugh every day, and it’s the best thing in the world to have a friend that just gets me.
I can’t wait for our littles to be the best of friends. James and I couldn’t be happier for you and Eric. Baby E is the luckiest little girl in the world. We love her so much already!
Julie from The Little Kitchen | Pistachio Pudding Cupcakes
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Shaina from Food for My Family | Vanilla Raspberry Mini Meringue Kisses
Glory from Glorious Treats | Modern decorated cookies
Cheryl from TidyMom | Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
Katie from Good Life {Eats} | Raspberry Hibiscus Soda
Aimee from SimpleBites | How to freeze a big batch of homemade waffles
Amanda from I am Baker | Heath Bar Cake
Steph from Steph Chows | PB oatmeal cookies
Allison from Some the Wiser | Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Megan from Stetted | Strawberry Jalapeno Palmiers
Shelly from Cookies & Cups | Bacon Cheddar Scones
Emily from Jelly Toast | Meyer Lemon Scones
Kristan from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen | Samoa Layer Cake
Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes for Jamie
Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes are a little bit of summer in dessert form. Bright citrus and sweet berries make them totally irresistible.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried lemon peel
- Fresh strawberries
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
For the Frosting:
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and vegetable shortening. Beat on high using the paddle attachment, until well combined and fluffy.
- Add sugar to the butter mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on high speed. Wait for the addition to be completely absorbed before adding the next half cup.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the egg completely before adding the next.
- Leave the batter mixing on medium speed while you combine the dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Use a whisk to combine and aerate the flour.
- When the batter is light and fluffy, add the flour and buttermilk in alternating increments, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Use the low speed to add them in.
- Add lemon extract and lemon peel to the batter and mix again on low speed for just a few minutes to evenly distribute. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well combined.
- Line a muffin pan with 20-22 cupcake liners. Lightly spray them with baking spray. Distribute the batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
- Wash and dry fresh strawberries. Remove tops, then slice each strawberry into 3-4 slices. If you're able to get small spring strawberries, you can use the whole strawberry in the cupcake. I could only find giant ones, so I used 1 slice for each cupcake. Place a slice or whole strawberry in the center of each cupcake batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted off center (remember, there's a strawberry in the center) comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Combine shortening, butter, and preserves in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until well combined, scraping the sides often.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating on high and scraping the bowl after each addition.
- When powdered sugar is completely incorporated, add lemon extract and beat again.
- If the frosting is too stiff and has not reached your desired consistency, add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time and beat on high until it does. If the frosting is too loose, add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until it does.
- Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting however you like. This recipe makes enough frosting to decadently cover each cupcake with a large tip from Bake It Pretty.
Notes
Adapted from Add a Pinch's Best White Cake Recipe
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
Monday 20th of January 2014
There's just something about strawberry and lemon together....makes me think of warmer weather! I could sure use some of that right about now :) I had birthday envy when it came to summer babies as well. My birthday was just a couple of weeks ago - I always had sledding parties growing up....they get old after a while LOL
Luisa D'Lima
Sunday 19th of January 2014
Forgot to say, it was my birthday yesterday, and i was always ( and still am!) jealous of summer birthdays! These cakes would definitely give me a taste of summer for my dark January birthday! Think I will be making these next year!
Luisa D'Lima
Sunday 19th of January 2014
Hi! I am from England and I don't think we have shortening here. Do you know of any substitute I could use? The cakes look so gorgeous. Thanks.
Mary Kay
Wednesday 15th of January 2014
These look so adorable and best of luck to Jamie! So lucky you gals are having your first babies together! I think these might be perfect for Miss Lyla's birthday! Not until April 1st but she is already planning :) She will probably refer to them as "lemonade" and strawberry cupcakes.
Tasha @thatssoyummy
Wednesday 15th of January 2014
I love the combining of lemon and strawberry. These look like they could just melt in my mouth! YUMMY!
Amber
Wednesday 15th of January 2014
Thanks, Tasha!