Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I’ve got one word for you friends: wow. These are so, so, so delicious. Wow. The original recipe was for pink lemonade but I decided I would rather do raspberry instead. Great choice (thank you, thank you very much). My husband, the non-sweets person, even loved them! I only had a half of one and had to give the rest away otherwise I could have easily downed two, three, the whole batch.. whatever! The awesome part about this recipe is the simplicity. They were so fast to throw together. There are a couple of ingredients you specifically have to plan for (the lemonade and buttermilk), but definitely worth adding to your shopping list!

Source: adapted from Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 c. thawed frozen Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
1/4 c. buttermilk
Pink food coloring

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink. Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).

Raspberry Lemonade Buttercream:
3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. raspberry lemonade concentrate
Pink food coloring

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

There were so many great pictures I had to add my favorites:

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