Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I've wanted to make pink lemonade cupcakes for a while now. I've Googled many a recipe, but never really had any excuse to make them. Then I signed up to bring a dozen cupcakes to a baby shower for a girl in our congregation (ward, for all my LDS readers), and suddenly I had a great excuse to make them! Next up, I'll take them to the Young Women for reaching a very important goal they set. Woot! Woot!

Cupcakes ingredients:

2-1/2 C all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-1/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 C vegetable oil
4 egg whites
1/2 C buttermilk

Frosting ingredients:

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Red food coloring, as needed
2 C confectioners' sugar
3 Tbs frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 Tbs lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Red food coloring, as needed

Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, pink lemonade concentrate, oil, and egg whites until well blended. Add half the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then add the buttermilk and mix again, followed finally by the remaining dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Add red food coloring one drop at a time to achieve desired pink color. The color will fade slightly when baked.

Fill each liner 3/4 full with batter.

Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until nice and fluffy. Pause the mixer occasionally to add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat until combined and fluffy.

Add the pink lemonade concentrate, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add red food coloring one drop at a time to achieve desired pink color. Frost cupcakes.

Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days in airtight containers. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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