Refreshing Lemon Cupcakes Recipe With Creamy Strawberry Jam Icing Inspired by Southern Living by Jan Mostrom

I made these beautiful and tasty strawberry lemon cupcakes with my friend's daughter. We had a great time making these cupcakes that were inspired by a Southern Living recipe. This easy, delicious and colorful cupcake recipe scored a 10 from the kids and adults alike! The lemony cupcakes are moist and the creamy strawberry frosting is the icing on the (cup)cake!

For this refreshing spring and summer cupcake recipe you'll need a box of white cake mix, a lemon, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, seedless strawberry jam, powdered sugar, kosher salt and food coloring, which is optional. The food coloring will make the lemon cupcakes brighter yellow and the strawberry frosting a more vibrant red, but it's your call on using it or not. The cake batter is made according to box directions with the addition of fresh lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract. The quick strawberry frosting is a mixture of butter, strawberry jam, powdered sugar and vanilla. So quick and easy!

This lemon cupcake recipe with creamy strawberry frosting is a fun recipe to get the kids involved in. Let them mix the batter, whip the frosting and help decorate these moist cupcakes. You'll not only make a sweet lemon dessert, but memories in the process!

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes plus time to cool 
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes plus time to cool 
Servings: Makes about 18 to 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 box (15 ounces) white cake mix
• zest and juice from 1 medium lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup seedless strawberry jam
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• food coloring (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Make the cake batter according to package directions on the box. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and food coloring, if desired. Stir until smooth.
   
2. Spoon the batter into two standard (12 cup) muffin tins lined with baking liners, filling each about halfway. Bake both pans in preheated 350-degree F oven until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Halfway through the baking time rotate the pans.
   
3. Let cool in pans 5 minutes and then move the cupcakes from pans to a cooling rack for about 20 to 30 minutes.
   
4. While the cupcakes cool make frosting by mixing butter, strawberry jam, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer frosting to a piping bag (or use a gallon ziplock bag) and cut one corner of bag to make a 1/2-inch hole.
   
5. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with fresh strawberries or fresh mint, if desired.
   

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