Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Bright. It’s the first thing that came to my mind when I took the inaugural bite of a Pink Lemonade cupcake I whipped up for last weekend’s bridal shower. Bright - and I ain’t talking about color. Imagine taking a perfect summer afternoon, piping pink icing on top, and sprinkling it with colored sugar. Absolutely awesome 
They were the perfect compliment to the margarita cupcakes and part-inspiration behind the bright pink & green colored theme of the tapas party and shower. Nice and bright.
I used a similar wet-to-dry ratio in the pink lemonade cupcake recipe that I used in the margarita cupcake recipe with a slight modification and a shortcut - I decreased the liquid to 9 oz and used frozen pink lemonade concentrate. I knew that the delicate flavor of the pink lemonade would probably get lost in the baking process and I wanted a flavor intensity similar to the margarita cupcakes. I thought the batter looked perfect after adding 9 oz of the concentrate - any more might have been too much more.
I will say, the recipe appears at least somewhat versatile and I plan on substituting the 9-10 oz of liquid for many other flavors in the coming months. The margarita and pink lemonade cupcakes might have been the first cupcakes I’ve ever made (since I was 8 years old) but they sure won’t be the last - I’m totally hooked!
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
1 1/8 cup (9 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed*
White cake mix (yes, the boxed stuff)
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Non-stick spray
1 recipe Lemon Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)
* For a less tart cupcake (and these babies do pack a punch), try reducing the amount of pink lemonade. 3/8 cup water and 3/4 cup pink lemonade will cut the tartness.
In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 90 seconds (the batter will still be a bit lumpy; take care not to overmix so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes).
Spray each cupcake liner with the non-stick spray and spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan (fill the cups between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers “done” in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.
Lemon Buttercream Icing
3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Red food color (to color icing and sugar, optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)
Add the butter, confectioners sugar, salt, lemon juice, and food coloring (if using) to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and uniformly pink. Add the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a 2D tip and ice the cupcakes.
Optional - Add the sugar and a couple drops of the food coloring to a food processor. Process until the sugar turns pink. Spread the sugar onto a plate and let dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle onto freshly-iced cupcakes.
Source: Adapted from Wilton
March 8th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Your cupcakes are wonderful, Shawnda! I love pink and I love lemon - I wish I could bake them now!
March 8th, 2007 at 8:57 am
OH Wow! Now that cupcake says Spring. It makes me feel so much warmer looking at that beautiful cupcake when is like 20 degrees outside. Beautiful.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:18 am
I think those look even better than the last ones! I love pink lemonade.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I haven’t had pink lemonade in years, but these are darling, a perfect way to celebrate the arrival of warm weather!
March 13th, 2007 at 9:53 am
[...] Confections of a Foodie Bride:  How fun! Pink Lemonade Cupcakes recipe Related Posts [...]
April 9th, 2007 at 10:19 am
[...] My husband and I were hashing out the last-minute menu for Easter dinner that we were making for my parents when he asked, “Do you think you can make Strawberries Romanov cupcakes?” Pure genius. And that’s why I love my guinea pig, I mean my husband. I’m a sucker for a unique cupcake flavor and recently transformed two of my favorite beverages into cupcakes (pink lemonade and margarita). So why couldn’t I transform my favorite dessert into, er, more dessert? [...]
June 6th, 2007 at 5:53 am
Thanks for this great recipe! I made them last night for my daughter-in-law’s birthday and everybody at work as enjoyed them.
June 18th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
[...] Pink Lemonade Cupcakes [...]
August 27th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
These are so good! And very pretty to look at. Thanks for posting the recipe — my coworkers loved them!
August 30th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
[...] Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (Recipe courtesy of “Confections of a Foodie Bride” http://www.http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=198) [...]
August 30th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
[...] (Source: “Confections of a Foodie Bride” http://www.http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=198) [...]
October 6th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
So so pretty! I made pink lemonade cupcakes a few days ago, but not quite as lovely as yours. I used some weirdo Barbie sprinkles instead of homemade colored sugar, but I did use your buttercream (delicious!!!). Will have to try the margarita cupcakes…
December 30th, 2007 at 12:22 am
[...] Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Dirty Risotto Mini Nutella & Banana [...]
March 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am
[...] Shawnda at Confections of a Foodie Bride: yours was one of the first food blogs I ever bookmarked and read regularly. I’ve gotten many great recipes from you, I still need to try those pink lemonade cupcakes! [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
[...] can find the recipe here, at Confections of a Foodie [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
These were so yummy that I had to give them away, or else I would have eaten every last one.
June 21st, 2008 at 3:56 am
I wonder where I can buy Pink Lemonade Concentrate in Australia. The cupcakes sound yummy !
July 7th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
[...] got the cupcake recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride. Their cupcakes look a thousand times better than mine did so go have a peek at their photo. If it [...]
August 6th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I tried this icing with vanilla cupcakes and it was dee-lish! Not like the other runny lemon icings I had tried; this one is thick and beautiful! Thanks for posting it!
August 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter is a huge fan of the book “Pinkalicious” and we used this recipe to recreate the pink cupcakes from the book.
September 21st, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Just found this while out searching for a few pink lemonade blog links to add to my post tonight. These are lovely so I am adding them!
February 22nd, 2009 at 5:28 am
[...] in Russia. BUT, I just have to. Sorry Kim! They were so fun and cute. I saw this recipe on Confections of a Foodie Bride right after I got to Russia, and HAD to make them, so asked a friend to bring me white cake mix [...]