Lemonade cupcakes #SummerDesertWeek

Disclaimer: These posts and recipes are part of the week-long event, #SummerDessertWeek but all opinions are 100% mine!

Happy Friday!

Today, I have a special treat for you… lemonade cupcakes!

And, there’s a few time saving secrets I’m going to share as well:

baking cupcakes doesn’t have to be an all day process- I used to be very “anti-boxed cake mix” but: in a pinch , I have been known to use some of the cleaner ones- (without anything artificial ) you can doctor them up very easily to give him a homemade taste by replacing oil with melted butter and water with milk. But- what if you want, say ….lemonade cupcakes to make ? Or, any other flavored cake? Simply add a packet of unsweetened drink mix! ( if you shop at a natural food store you can find naturally flavored ones without the chemicals or dyes) or-you can also flavor a plain cake mix with quality extracts (in this case Adams lemon is phenomenal!)

I have another confession: the day I had planned on making head ended up being quite crazy. As you can imagine, most of my days are crazy with three kids under the age of three. So, my sweet daughter (kid #4) offered to help. You know what?! Her cupcakes came out prettier than mine!!!! So, the cupcakes she baked ended up being showcased in the photo shoot… ( mine I inadvertently overfilled and they came out quite lopsided.)

She’s starting to dabble with food photography (see above photo) and I decided that she’s now old enough to possibly do a guest post on my blog soon. Many of y’all have watched her grow up here since I started this blog when she was a toddler . See pic/post from 2009 below:

I’m excited to allow her the opportunity to showcase her own skills she has learned from me throughout the years.

In our cupcake making adventure the other day, my current two little ones (ages 1 1/2 and 2 1/2) decided that they wanted to take part in the festivities as well:

However: their assistance was more trying to steal cupcakes & sprinkles and frosting. It completely brought back memories to when I first started this little blog over 10 years ago and my daughter trying to sneak bites of whatever treat I was working on… and taking her own photos:

How was that almost TEN years ago!?

Time flies and life is short.

So eat cupcakes.

Keep it easy and simple with my tips, and try out these new ready to go frosting bags from Wilton:

And: if you need inspiration (aka cute “outfits”) for your cupcakes: Check out Sweets & Treats for all your decorating supplies… that’s where I found the matching yellow liners & sprinkles. Sooooo cute.

Check out the amazing #SummerDessertWeek recipes from our bloggers today!

Summer Drinks:

• Mermaid Pineapple Rum Dum from Big Bear’s Wife

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts:

• Pineapple Coconut Milkshakes from Daily Dish Recipes
• Ice Cream Torte with Crunchy Crumby Center from Family Around the Table
• Drumstick Layered Dessert from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Mermaid Milkshakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Mojito Popsicles from The Spiffy Cookie
• Fried Ice Cream Cake from Cookaholic Wife
• Unicorn Milkshake from For The Love of Food

Summertime Pies:

• Banana Cream Pie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Sweet Summertime Cakes and Cupcakes:

• Mojio Cupcakes from Jen Around the World
• Pina Colada Cupcakes from The Beard and The Baker
• Lemonade Cupcakes from The Domestic Kitchen
• Summer Sangria Cake from A Blender Mom
• Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Cupcakes from Doughmesstic
• Sunflower Cupcakes from Home Sweet Homestead
• Easy Pina Colada Poke Cake from Love and Confections
• Classic Vanilla Cupcakes + Summer Cupcake Decorating from Books n’ Cooks
• Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from Everyday Eileen
• Almond Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream Frosting from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine

No Bake Treats:

• Million Dollar Bar Pies from Fake Ginger
• Blackberry Cream Cheese Dessert from Eat Move Make
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake from Cooking With Carlee

Baked Desserts:

• S’mores Cheesecake from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Strawberry Cheesecake Shortbread Bars from The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Drumstick Babka from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Raspberry Lemon Brownies from Sweet Beginnings
• Peach Streusel Crumb Bars from Blogghetti
• White Tea Peach Panna Cotta from Palatable Pastime

Candies:

• Homemade Strawberry Swirl Marshmallow from My Sweet Zepol
• Blueberry Lemonade Lollipops from Our Good Life

PRIZE #1

Dixie Crystals is giving away one (1)Keurig® K-Select® Coffee Maker

PRIZE #2

Prize #2 — Adam’s Extract is giving away – 1 Gift Pack – including Adams Poundcake Kit, Adams Best, Adams Lemon Extract, Adams Natural Food Color, and Adams Cinnamon Sugar

PRIZE #3

Prize #3 —Wilton is giving away a Wilton Gift Pack – including – Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 13 x 9 -inch Oblong Pan, Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 8-inch Square Cake Pan, Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 8-inch Round Cake Pan, Peach Cobbler Candy Melts Candy, Blueberry Lemonade Candy Melts Candy, Orange Crème Candy Melts Candy, Key Lime Pie Decorating Icing Pouch with Tips, Orange Crème Decorating Icing Pouch with Tips, Pop Art Triangle and Solid Cupcake Liners, Geometric Print and Solid Green Cupcake Liners, Balloon Dog Icing Decorations, Assorted Brights and Pastels Sprinkles, Blue Sprinkles Tackle Box, Coral Sprinkles Tackle Box, DIY-Lish Mermaid Kit, DIY-Lish Candy Lollipop Kit and Disposable Decorating Bags with 1M Tips

PRIZE #4

Prize #4 — Sweets & Treats Boutique is giving away 1 (one) baking supply box including an assortment of sprinkles and cupcake liners as well as one of Love From The Oven’s recent cookbooks!

PRIZE #5

Prize #5 — Anolon is giving one (1) winner an Anolon Advanced Graphite 9″ Round Springform Pan & an Anolon Advanced Graphite 9″ Square Springform Pan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 years or older. All entries will be verified. No PO Boxes Please. Prizes will be sent directly from sponsors to winners, bloggers are not responsible for prizes. This giveaway runs from July 7th – July 14th at 12AMEST. Winners will be selected soon afterward and contacted by e-mail. Winners will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. There are a total of 5 (five) prizes and therefore we will have a total of 5 (five) winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Disclaimer: These posts and recipes are part of the week-long event, #SummerDessertWeek but all opinions are 100% mine! We would like to Thank our amazing sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Adam’s Extract, Wilton, Sweets and Treats Shop and Anolon ! These wonderful sponsors provided the prize packs for our giveaways and also sent samples and products to the #SummerDessertWeek bloggers to use in their recipes.