Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

 Look no further, I have found the perfect summer cupcake. It's a little late but it's here! The second I bit into this, I knew it was trouble. I immediately didn't want to share. I wanted to sneak them all away in my room and inhale them in one go.

But I decided to be nice. I wasn't going to post for a while but I do want everyone to share in my love for this!

I've always loved strawberry lemonade. Ever since I was a kid in Atlanta and we'd go to Macaroni Grill. It was always so good! It's also at The Cheesecake Factory, and they even put sugar on the rim. It's sweet and delicious with a tangy twist. I had been wanting to make a dessert version of this for a while but briefly forgot about it.

And then! My dear friend Aba from St. Louis sent me a jar of homemade lemon-strawberry jam! It was its destiny to someday smear the inside of a cupcake... and-end-up-in-someone's-tummy-combined-with-a-lemon-sponge-cake-and-some-pink-frosting :)

This turned out much tastier than I expected. At first I thought it would be rather tart, and it was slightly, but definitely in a good way. My family loved it, as did Joe's family. His cousin gobbled it down in maybe 10 seconds flat. I used the popular cream cheese frosting that I put on carrot cake and that was a big hit.

Since I only made a small batch the first time, and not enough of my friends got to try it, I made a second batch the next day. I realized that we have a huge container of fresh blueberries and strawberries in our fridge that may go bad pretty soon. So I made the lemon sponge cake, and when it cooled, I cut a hole in the middle and filled it with chopped strawberries and blueberries! Then topped with frosting. The results were divine. I really don't know which one I like more. 

The ones with jam are definitely more strawberry lemonade flavored, whereas these are more just strawberry-lemon cakes, or blueberry-lemon cakes. 

So here's the recipe. I strongly encourage everyone to drop what they're doing and bake these little cuties, before summer ends! Hurry!

Lemon Sponge Cake 
(adapted from here)

Makes about 16 cupcakes

3 egg yolks

1/6 cup of fresh lemon juice plus enough water to make 1/3 cup liquid
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar 

3/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon cake flour 

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Separate the eggs from the yolks.
3. Mix egg yolks with juice and vanilla with a mixer until well combined.
   
4. Gradually add in 1/2 cup of sugar on low.
5. A quarter cup at a time, sprinkle flour over the mixture and gently fold it in after each addition.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Gently fold the egg whites mixture into the egg yolks.
8. Fill cupcakes 3/4 full with batter.
9. Bake until golden brown on top (about 30 min.).  Cake should spring back when touch in the center.
10. Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
11. Use a sharp knife and cut a hole in the middle of the cake.
12. Smear some strawberry jam or fresh fruits into the center.
13. Pipe frosting around the top! 

Cream Cheese Frosting (AKA the best cream cheese frosting evah)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 pkt cream cheese (8oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

Whip the cream separately till stiff peaks. Then whip the cream cheese, sugar, and extract together (with any food colorings) and fold in the cream last. Enjoy!


Cupcake