These strawberry lemonade cupcakes taste just like summer! They have the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and are packed with strawberry flavor.

They’re made with moist lemon cupcakes, strawberry jam filling, and a deliciously tart strawberry lemon buttercream.

They’re garnished with a cute little lemon slice and a heart shaped piece of strawberry.

This recipe is now a summer staple for me, and hopefully you’ll feel the same way about it 🙂

Marbling this Frosting with Strawberry Jam

I really wanted these strawberry lemonade cupcakes to burst with flavor, so I decided to coat the inside of my piping bag with strawberry jam before filling it up with buttercream.

It gives each frosting swirl a beautiful marbled look, and makes each cupcake look so delicious!

This step is totally optional, but it’s a fun way to mix things up and give these cupcakes such a fun finished look.

Substitutions and Swaps – Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all of these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:

• Granulated sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cupcakes.
• Fresh lemon juice & zest – You can also use 1 tsp of lemon extract in its place in the frosting and cupcake batter. However, the flavor won’t be quite as strong or bright. I also don’t recommend using bottled lemon juice!
• All purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a cup for cup gluten free flour blend if needed.
• Sour cream – You can also use full fat yogurt, buttermilk, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat, etc.) if you’re dairy free.
• 1 large egg – If you don’t have eggs on hand or you have an egg allergy you can use a vegan egg replacer instead.

• Melted butter – You can also use any flavorless oil in the cupcake portion of this recipe like canola or sunflower oil! I advise against olive oil because of its strong flavor. Be sure to use room temperature butter to make the frosting though!
• Seedless strawberry jam – It’s important that you use seedless jam or jelly in this recipe! It ensure the frosting turns our smooth and makes it a lot easier to pipe.
• Unsalted butter – If you only have salted butter on hand you can use it in place of the unsalted butter in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!

Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

• Be sure to properly measure your flour (fluff and level with a knife or use a scale).
• Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners and make sure they all have the same amount of batter.
• Bang your cupcake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
• To really pack these cupcakes with strawberry flavor, fill them with your favorite strawberry jam.
• Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam inside your piping bag before filling it with frosting. It’ll give your frosting swirls even more delicious strawberry flavor.

• Use a large round piping tip to frost large swirls on top of these cupcakes! I used an Ateco 807 to frost these.
• To make gluten free strawberry lemonade cupcakes, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to give your batter some extra stir time (helps give GF baked goods proper structure) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

• Use a large round piping tip to frost large swirls on top of these cupcakes! I used an Ateco 807 to frost these.
• To make gluten free strawberry lemonade cupcakes, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to give your batter some extra stir time (helps give GF baked goods proper structure) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
• This frosting recipe makes enough to pipe large swirls like the pictures. If you prefer less frosting, feel free to cut the frosting recipe in half.
• Top you cupcakes with a tiny lemon slice and a little strawberry heart to make them look just as amazing as they taste.

Making these Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips:

You can make these cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted and unfilled in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

These cupcakes can also last up to 3 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, wait to fill and frost them until they’re thawed.

You can also make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight in an airtight container, but I find frosting and filling them right before serving is best.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for strawberry lemonade cupcakes, I’d love to hear what think of it! Let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!

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