Not only arePink Lemonade Cupcakesabsolutely adorable, but they’re also the fluffiest tart and refreshing bite of lemony cake and frosting, perfect for any summer celebration.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes in bright pink wrappers with light pink frosting, pink sprinkles, a lemon slice, and a yellow and white straw.

Pink lemonadebrings me back to childhood. It was such a fun twist on the original tart drink, and I loved the pop of unexpected pink! These cupcakes add another layer of sweet nostalgia. They couldn’t be cuter, andevery kid and parent alike will have a hard time stopping at just one.

Lemon cakesalways have such a sophisticated air to them. They remind me of fancy desserts you might serve at a tea party or afun Mother’s Day brunch.Pink Lemonade Cupcakesare definitely worthy of a tea party, but they’re also a lovely ender for any summertime celebration!

yellow cupcakes in bright pink wrappers with light pink frosting, pink sprinkles, a lemon slice, and a yellow and white straw on a white round serving platter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for entertaining, these beauties will add a little fun and tart sweetness to any gathering, whether it’s a pool party, cookout, block party, or picnic.
This is an easy recipe with limited ingredients because it’ssemihomemade—it uses a lemon cake mix!
Feeding a crowd? No problem! Justdouble (or triple)the recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

These are the ingredients for both the cupcakes and the must-have frosting!

Lemon cake mix –I prefer Betty Crocker mixes
Buttermilk –use thishomemade buttermilkif you prefer
Oil –called for in the cake mix
Eggs
Butter –real butter will result in the best taste and consistency of the frosting
Pink lemonade concentrate –find this in the frozen section of the grocery store
Vanilla
Powdered sugar

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

yellow cupcakes in bright pink wrappers with light pink frosting, pink sprinkles, a lemon slice, and a yellow and white straw on a white table.

How to Make Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Mix together the cake mix, oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Pour into 18 muffin cups lined with paper liners.
Bake and then set on wire racks to cool.
Make the frosting by beating the butter, pink lemonade concentrate, vanilla, and salt.
Add the powdered sugar and mix. Pipe or spread onto the cupcakes.

Recipe FAQs

What’s in Pink Lemonade Cupcakes?

This recipe is pretty basic, which makes it even better for entertaining since it comes together in the snap of a finger! The cake recipe calls for a lemon cake box mix, oil, buttermilk, and eggs. The frosting requires butter, pink lemonade concentrate, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Unlike most lemony desserts, like my lemon bars or lemon tart recipes, you don’t need to zest, juice, or slice any real lemons to make these cupcakes!

How do you make the perfect cupcake icing?

The consistency of the frosting is important if you want to pile it nice and high on the little cakes. When mixing the frosting ingredients, only add half of the powdered sugar at first. You want it to be a medium consistency, so start there and adjust as needed.You should be able to stick a small spoon in the middle of the bowl of frosting, and it stays standing up (this is the best way to test it). If it’s too thick, add a little more pink lemonade concentrate. If it’s too thin, add a quarter cup of powdered sugar at a time until it reaches the best consistency.

What is the best cake mix to use for Pink Lemonade Cupcakes?

You get what you pay for. When you bake from boxed cake mixes, I always think the nicer brands yield a better finished product. You’ll save a couple bucks on the off-brand selections, but the quality is better in the name brands. I like to use Betty Crocker.

yellow cupcakes in bright pink wrappers with pale pink icing being piped on top.

Expert Tips

I like to use Betty Crocker cake mixes because I’ve found the quality provides a better finished cake product than the off-brand mixes.
Don’t ignore room temperature instructions.When making the frosting, both the butter and pink lemonade concentrate should be room temperature. If the concentrate is still frozen or cold, it will cause chunks of butter to harden in the frosting.
Have fun with the toppings! You can get creative with your garnishes here.Add mini umbrellas, slices of lemon, decorative sprinkles, or small paper straws, like I did here. These cupcakes are seriously precious, so deck them out however your heart desires!