Summertime is filled with family fun, cookouts, and refreshing treats. It’s my favorite time of the year. With the unofficial kick-off to summer, Memorial Day, coming up you might be looking for a special sweet treat to make for your friends and family. These Cherry Limeade Cupcakes are the perfect summertime dessert – a real show stopper! You’re going to love how easy this Cherry Limeade Cupcake recipe is to prepare.
Cherry limeade is such a refreshing drink during the summer months. Flavored with fresh limes and maraschino cherry juice, these cupcakes are full of summer flavor. The cupcake recipe is a fan favorite.
Check out some other popular Cupcake Recipes on About a Mom:
Chocolate Cherry Coca Cola Cupcakes
Summertime. How sweet it is.
Most Cherry Limeade Cupcakes I have seen have a lime cupcake and cherry frosting, so I decided to do something a little different. I made cherry cupcakes flavored with maraschino cherry juice and Cherry 7UP, and topped them with a tangy lime frosting that is out of this world delicious.
These cupcakes have yet another special twist. Instead of poking a paper straw into them, like you often see, the sweet cherry goodness continues with Twizzlers Twists. I love that cherry flavor and think this edible option is way more fun than a paper straw.
More summertime cupcake recipes you’ll love:
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Ingredients
This recipe yields 18 cupcakes. For your convenience, a printable version with all ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Cucpakes:
white cake mix (with NO pudding)
instant vanilla pudding
eggs
maraschino cherry juice, cherries reserved
canola oil
Cherry 7UP soda
red food coloring (optional)
Frosting:
unsalted butter, room temperature
powdered sugar
lime juice, freshly squeezed
salt
lime zest
green food coloring (optional)
Twizzlers Twists, cut in half
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place cupcake liners in muffin pans.
2. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, combine and mix all ingredients on medium speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. If desired, stir in a few drops of red food coloring until batter is pink.
3. Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until a thick and creamy consistency is achieved. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green food coloring if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint.
5. Pipe or spread frosting atop cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with one of the reserved cherries. Poke one half of a Twizzlers Cherry Twist into the top of each cupcake, to resemble a straw.
Note: If you’re like me and pile on the frosting, you may need to double the frosting recipe. If you have any frosting leftover, it’s a bonus!
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box white cake mix with NO pudding
- 3.4 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice cherries reserved
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 12 ounces Cherry 7UP 1 can equivalent
- red food coloring optional
Cucpakes
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated lime zest
- green food coloring optional
Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Place cupcake liners in muffin pans.
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, combine and mix all ingredients on medium speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. If desired, stir in a few drops of red food coloring until batter is pink.
- Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until a thick and creamy consistency is achieved. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green food coloring if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint.
- Pipe or spread frosting atop cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with one of the reserved cherries. Poke one half of a Twizzlers Cherry Twist into the top of each cupcake, to resemble a straw.
Notes
Nutrition
More summertime treats to try:
Picnic Perfect Patriotic Berry Trifle
These sound and look delicious! I was so glad that when I looked at the recipe, there was no cream cheese in the frosting. I hate cream cheese, but I love buttercream or whipped cream frosting. I will be making these. Thanks for leaving out the cream cheese.
These look so good. I can think of a party we are having soon where these would be perfect!
What a nice cool looking idea for an afternoon of kids over for a pool party!
Ohhhh…these look so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You’re a genius! I have to share with my sister who makes cupcakes so often. What an incredible job you did!
I am so eager to make these. You did a beautiful and creative job. How did you get the ruffle effect – did you use a rose tip?
Wow, these look really delicious. I would love to make them for a birthday.
These are so pretty and sound so good. Nice twist!
These are so pretty! And I love the flavor combo!
Has anyone actually made these?