Pink Lemonade Cupcakes in Asheville, North Carolina

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 It’s summer and it’s hot and while we all love chocolate sometimes it’s nice to have something a little more refreshing.  I had been looking for something bright and fresh for our guests to find in their (air-conditioned!) rooms when they come home to the Carolina Bed & Breakfast, when I thought of Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.

  I don’t remember where I found this recipe.  It’s been around for a long time.  It comes under the category of what I call “Cheater’s Recipes”, i.e., those which use packaged or convenience items.  My friends at SeriousEats may laugh at me but sometimes (not very often but sometimes) these recipes can be just as good as those which ask that everything  be made from scratch.  This one takes a plain white cake-mix and elevates up to a yummy little bite.

It is fairly sweet so I decided to make mini-cupcakes, more like petite-fours than a piece of cake. I piped the icing on in order to make it look good but it will taste just as good if you just dollop some on.

3-4 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line mini-muffin pans with cupcake liners.  Combine all of the ingredients and mix together until smooth. Place one-two tablespoons of batter in each liner.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes until done.  Cool well.

For the Icing:
3 cups icing (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup defrosted lemonade concentrate

Place all ingredients in bowl of electric mixer and mix until light and fluffy.  Either pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes or spoon some on.  Decorate with a small piece of  lemon fruit jelly or other lemon candy.

Variation:
I haven’t actually tried this yet, but I think I may use some limeade and fresh mint next time and make some “Mojito Cupcakes” !