Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Lemonade (or pink lemonade, if you prefer) is a staple of summertime. But today is the first day of September and summer is ending. I might be in the minority on this, but I’m looking forward to autumn — cooler weather, sweaters, football, slow-cooked foods, orange and red leaves, and apple-based baked goods are all on the way! But today and tomorrow’s posts will serve as a goodbye to summer. A goodbye to long days, lemonade stands, thunderstorms, s’mores, the ever-present smell of sunscreen, drippy ice cream cones, outdoor concerts, sleeping with the windows open, the sounds of crickets, fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, the smell of freshly cut grass and grilled foods, baseball games, flipflops, and swimming. Check back tomorrow for a beach and Hawaii-inspired birthday cake.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Recipe source: Erica’s Sweet Tooth
Print Recipe

For the cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs whites

For the frosting:
6 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
4 Tbsp frozen pink lemonade concentrate
Pink and yellow food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 24 muffin tins with liners.
2. Combine all of the cupcake ingredients in an electric mixer and mix for 30 seconds or until smooth. Divide batter, filling liners about 2/3 full. Bake 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
3. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, combine all frosting ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high until frosting is light and fluffy.
4. Divide the frosting into two bowls; color one batch pink and the other yellow.
5. Fit a pastry bag with a large tip (star or round). Fill half the bag with pink frosting and the other half with yellow (so you have both colors in the same bag — it will pipe out in a swirled mixture). Frost cupcakes.

Makes about 24 cupcakes.