Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury™. The opinions and text are all mine.

For me, the summer is all about creating special memories with my family.  Some of my favorite summer memories include baking with my mom and lemonade stands!  Nothing is quite as quintessential as an adorable lemonade stand, sticky fingers and sweet smiles. 

I’m combining my favorite summer memories and making an extraordinary summer treat with my kids.  These strawberry lemonade cupcakes are light and fluffy with a hint of lemon that will remind you of a refreshing glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.

During my childhood, my mom was a school teacher and she was always home during the summer.  Because she was a school teacher, she always made sure our summer activities involved some sort of learning.  Whether we were practicing fractions while baking, or counting money at our lemonade stand, everything was a teaching moment.  But, the funny thing is, I didn’t realize this until I was an adult and had kids of my own.  As a kid, I just thought that my mom was super cool and let us do lots of fun things because it was summer.

I want to create those same extraordinary memories with my own kids, which is why I let them have lemonade stands, paint rocks, and, of course, bake yummy treats.  If I’m being completely honest, sometimes I get overwhelmed by the mess that they inevitably create when we are doing any of these activities, but then I remember how much these simple moments shaped my childhood and how they evoke such happy memories. The mess is definitely worth the lifetime of memories!

If you are looking for a way to beat the heat this summer, or cure those summer boredom blues, head to the kitchen with your kids and whip up a batch of these delicious strawberry lemonade cupcakes with Pillsbury!  The great thing about this recipe is it’s super easy to make and will be a hit with everyone young and old. 

We love the Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix, because it always turns out super moist and the flavor is delectably fresh and not overpowering.  You can find in the baking aisle at Kroger.

Once you’ve whipped up the pretty pink batter, fill cupcake liners with the cake mix and bake. This is my kids favorite part.  I’ve found that using a small ice cream scoop makes this job even easier for little hands and helps minimize the mess.

While the cupcakes are baking, it’s time to give the classic Pillsbury Cream Cheese Frosting a mini makeover.  I always have this frosting in my pantry, it’s a baking staple at our house.  With just three extra ingredients you can turn it into a sweet and sour lemonade frosting that will make your strawberry cupcakes sing.  You can add a little bit of yellow food coloring to give it that pretty subtle yellow color that will pop against the pink cupcakes.  Or you can use pink food coloring to make them look like pink lemonade.

Once you’ve baked and frosted your cupcakes, garnish them with a lemon slice and fresh strawberry.  Cut  a cute paper straw and add that to the cupcake to compete the look of your delicious strawberry lemonade cupcakes.

We’ve made these yummy treats and served them at our lemonade stand, because who says you have to serve just lemonade.  Our customers, aka sweet neighbors, love them and always compliment the kids on how delicious they are.  The messy kitchen is definitely worth it when I see the smiles that light up their faces as they beam with pride and tell them how they made them.  Oh yes, summer memories are definitely in the making! Make your own summer memories and visit the Pillsbury brand page on Myxxrecipes.com for more recipes to try out this summer.

How do you create fun summer memories or traditions with your family?