Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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You’ll love the simplicity of these Easy Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes. A box cake mix and fresh homemade raspberry buttercream frosting make this recipe easy to make and delicious to eat. A fresh raspberry tops the cupcake for extra fresh goodness!

Our readers love fresh berries, especially when topped on these delicious Lemon Cheesecake Bars! Love these Almond Wedding Cupcakes with delicious raspberry filling!

Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes with swirls of frosting and fresh berries.

Why this Recipe Works

I have to let you guys in on a little secret. I cheated when I made these raspberry lemonade cupcakes. How you ask? I used a box cake mix.

Now, before you gasp loudly or start to judge me, you should know that it’s not very often that I use a box of cake mix. But every once in a great while, it is a necessity. (Umm, remember these amazing cake mix cookies???)

So I used my trusty box cake mix for these raspberry lemonade cupcakes and they ended up turning out great. And in the end, that’s all that really matters, right?

The real key to these lemonade cupcakes is actually in the raspberry buttercream frosting anyway. And that is not from a container.

I used a tangy raspberry lemonade concentrate to make the frosting from scratch and it really gives these lemon cupcakes a nice zing!

The taste of raspberries and lemons gives these cupcakes a sweet and tart flavor that is perfect for a birthday party, summer day, or yep you guessed it, swim team! You’ll see this flavor paired in our raspberry lemon cookies too!

Follow the recipe to make these light and fluffy cupcakes with no notice at all!

Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes with fresh raspberries and straws.

How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients including cake mix and jello powder to a mixing bowl. Then add egg whites, oil, and water. Beat for two minutes, until well blended.

Fill cupcake liners half full with batter and bake for about 15 minutes. The cupcakes are done once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Step 3: To make the raspberry icing, beat the butter, powdered sugar, raspberry lemonade, and food coloring on high for five minutes, until light and fluffy.

Fill a decorator piping bag (I use Tip 2D) and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sparkly coarse sugar if desired and top each cupcake with a fresh red raspberry.

Swirls of raspberry lemonade frosting on a cupcake.

Tips and Tricks

  • If you want a more intense raspberry flavor, add dried raspberries to the frosting like I do in my Strawberry Almond Cake recipe. To do this, just pop some freeze dried raspberries in a food processor or freezer sealed bag to make crumbs and then add it into the frosting mixture.
  • Try swapping out raspberry lemonade concentrate for several tablespoons of raspberry jam and fresh lemon zest or lemon juice.
  • The white cake mix and lemon-flavored jello combined creates a delicious lemon flavor. You could also swap out the white cake mix for lemon flavor cake mix and omit the gelatin altogether.
  • Sometimes you can find special edition cake mixes like pink lemonade cupcake mix. That would also work well in this recipe and be a fun twist on my pink lemonade cupcake recipe! (No box cake mixes in this one!) Or give our pink lemonade fudge a try next.
Lemonade cupcakes with raspberry frosting and fresh raspberry garnish.

Recipe FAQs

How do you store Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes?

You can store frosted cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. They usually taste best when consumed within 3-5 days.

Can you freeze cupcakes?

Have more than two days notice to make cupcakes? You can also make these in advance and freeze them for up to three months!To freeze, let them cool completely, then wrap them individually in tight plastic wrap. Slide them into a freezer safe plastic bag. Don’t squish them too tight. Lay them flat and use multiple bags if you need to give them enough room. When you’re ready to eat, defrost them and then top them with fresh made raspberry buttercream frosting for best taste.

How do you swirl frosting on a cupcake?

Fill a decorator piping bag (I use Tip 2D) and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sparkly coarse sugar if desired and top each cupcake with a fresh red raspberry.

Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes on marble cutting board.

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Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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By: Aimee
You’ll love the simplicity of these raspberry lemonade cupcakes. A box cake mix and fresh homemade raspberry buttercream frosting make this recipe easy to make and delicious to eat. A fresh raspberry tops the cupcake for extra fresh goodness!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients 

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

  • 1 box white cake mix 18.25 ounce
  • 1 box lemon jello gelatin powder 3 ounce
  • 3 large egg whites
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ¼ cup water

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 7 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate thawed
  • 2 drops red food coloring
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Instructions 

  • For the cake, add cake mix, jello, egg whites, oil and water in a mixing bowl. Beat 2 minutes until blended. Fill cupcake liners half full and baking in a 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
  • For the frosting, beat butter, powdered sugar, raspberry lemonade and food coloring on high for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Fill a decorator bag (I used tip 2D) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sparkly coarse sugar if desired and top with fresh raspberry.

Notes

  • If you want a more intense raspberry flavor, add dried raspberries to the frosting like I do in my Strawberry Almond Cake recipe. To do this, just pop some freeze dried raspberries in a food processor or freezer sealed bag to make crumbs and then add it into the frosting mixture.
  • Try swapping out raspberry lemonade concentrate for several tablespoons of raspberry jam and fresh lemon zest or lemon juice.
  • The white cake mix and lemon-flavored jello combined creates a delicious lemon flavor. You could also swap out the white cake mix for lemon flavor cake mix and omit the gelatin altogether.
  • Sometimes you can find special edition cake mixes like pink lemonade cupcake mix. That would also work well in this recipe and be a fun twist on my pink lemonade cupcake recipe! (No box cake mixes in this one!)
  • Nutrition

    Calories: 313kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 169mg, Sugar: 43g
    Course: Cupcake
    Cuisine: American
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

    Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes are a quick and easy summer dessert with a tangy sweet frosting!

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    About Aimee

    Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

    Learn more about Aimee.

    Affiliate Disclosure:**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**

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    Posted on July 19, 2019

    Comments & Reviews

    1. haha, cake mix isn’t cheating 😉 I wanted to make doughnuts, but instead of making the batter, I used cake mix. I forgot that cake has a total different texture than doughnuts. So it was just little circular cakes.
      But these things look to DIE for!! I would eat half the batch, and I don’t even think I would be sorry

    2. wow!! yum yum yum!!!

      would love it if you could share them on my link party – http://serenityyou.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/serenity-saturday-48.html

      Natasha xx

    3. these are so flipping adorable!! i love the straws and “lemonade” theme 🙂 who cares if it’s a boxed mix! they’re tried and true!

    4. Yummo! Thanks for sharing! We would love to have you link up some of your recipes over at our party!

      http://baked-inthesouth.blogspot.com/2012/07/made-it-by-monday-link-party.html

    5. This is like those pink lemonade cake mixes I’ve been seeing on the shelves recently. I like your version better though Aimee. They look great! perfect for summer!

      1. I have not seen those cake mixes. I don’t buy cake mix often though, so I think I better go check this out….

    6. Yummy! I never met a cupcake I didn’t like, made with a box or not! Great flavor combination!!! Good luck with all the insanity!

    7. Hi there, I’m hosting My Sweet party and I would love you to join! Check it out at http://meandmysweets.blogspot.se/2012/07/my-sweet-party-july-my-favourite-pie.html

      Cheers!

    8. Mmm, raspberry lemonades are one of my fave summertime drinks and now they’re in cupcake form? I’m drooling! Seriously, the way people feel about pb + chocolate is how I feel about raspberry + lemon. It’s an awesome pairing. These cupcakes look totally yummy, Aimee!

      1. I am with you Hayley. I LOVE Raspberry and Lemon together too! I’ve got another recipe coming soon with that combo.

    9. I used the pink lemonade cake mix. Loved it so much. Now u can’t find it anywhere. Totally bummed

    10. Well, you know that I am all about using doctored up cake mixes for everything:-) These look and sound great…perfect summer time cupcake!!! I love your shot with the green in the background:-)

    11. These are so pretty Aimee! I love boxed mixes…so easy in a pinch. And that frosting sounds to die for!

    12. Who cares if it comes from a box?! Boxed cake mix can be doctored up in so many ways. And lemon is a great flavor. My mom makes a lemon bundt/pound cake from it. (And most moms would’ve went to the bakery section and just bought the cupcakes, right? 🙂

    13. they look awesome! at the beginning of summer I bought a box of special edition pink lemondade cake mix – havent used it – and now, this post pops up. Great idea just to use white mix and doctor it!

    14. Yum!! I am on a raspberry kick and will have to try these out! Thanks for sharing – pinnint now!

      1. Kelsey, I totally am on a raspberry kick too. I have another great recipe coming to the blog soon…the raspberries are juicy and giant sized right now!

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