Pink Lemonade cupcake in a Jar

For convenience sake I love things on a stick or in a jar. So I have book club tomorrow and I’m bringing Pink Lemonade Cupcakes in a jar.  They are a great dessert for a hot summer day and easy for taking on the road. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcake in a Jar

Cake

1 box of white cake mix

1 cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate (there will be ¼ cup left over and will be needed later)

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 eggs

A couple drops red food coloring until it is soft pink

Other

1 large tub of whipped cream topping (I used the frozen you get in the freezer department to make it easy)

Lemon syrup (I’ll give you the recipe below)

Jello Lemon Pudding with red food coloring

Candied lemon peels (recipe in previous blog but I’ll give again)

A day in advance make your candied lemon peels for decoration on the top.

Pink Candied Lemon Peel

3 lemons peeled, cut into 1/4 inch strips

1 cup white sugar

¼  cup pink lemonade (you can use regular also I just want it pink for my dessert)

Sugar for decoration

Red food coloring (optional)

Place lemon peel in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 20 minutes, drain and set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and a drop of food coloring if you wish to make it pink to make the syrup pink. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture reaches thread stage, 230 degrees on candy thermometer, or small amount dropped in cold water forms a soft thread. Stir in your drained peels, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain again.

Roll peel pieces, a few at a time, in remaining sugar or put in a mason jar or baggie with sugar and shake gently to coat the peels. Let dry on wire rack for a day. Store in an air tight container.

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill cup cake pan with liners and set aside. 

Combine cake mix, lemonade concentrate, water, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed for about a minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more. Add two of red food coloring, folding in until batter is the shade of pink you want. Pour your batter in cupcake liners and bake for about 18 minutes, until the middle springs back when lightly touched or test with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes and let them cool on a rack until room temperature. Because of the addition of the lemonade they do not raise as much as a normal cup cake but that is perfect for putting them in a jar because you want them flat for layering.  They are extremely moist and wonderful if you just want to frost them and eat them plain.

For the center of the cake you can use my lemon curd recipe or just buy a box of Jello Lemon Pudding. 

Lemon Curd

5 lemons (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1/4 lb. of softened butter

5 large eggs (room temperature)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Several drops of red food coloring to make pink

Zest the lemons or limes with a peeler, being careful not to get too much pith.  Juice the lemons or limes to yield 1/2 cup juice and set aside.

Put zest and sugar in blender and blend until zest is finely chopped.  Add butter and continue to blend.  Scrape down the side and bottom of the blender.  Add in the eggs one at a time.  Add the juice and salt.  Blend the mixture until it is smooth.

Pour mixture into medium size pot.  Cook on medium heat until mixture reaches about 175 degrees on a candy thermometer or just before boiling.  The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Immediately, strain curd through a wire strainer in a clean bowl. 

If you are going with Jello Lemon Pudding just follow the directions and add a couple drops of red food coloring until it is the color pink you desire. Also strain the pudding to make sure you don’t have any egg lumps.

Pink Lemonade Syrup

½  cup water

1 cup sugar

¼ cup of the left over pink lemonade concentrate

2 drops of red food coloring

Boil all ingredients for five minutes, let the mixture cool, and refrigerate the liquid. About one quarter of the liquid evaporates in the cooking process thickening it. 

Homemade syrup doesn’t keep as long as the commercial variety.  Store it in a plastic squeeze bottle.  It makes it easy to use.

Assembly

It is time to assemble.  The recipe makes 12 jars.  Peel the paper off a cupcake and put in the bottom of a jar.

Put your cooled lemon pudding or curd in a baggie and pipe it on top of the cupcake.  This keeps the sides of the jar clean and looks nicer.  Put another cupcake on top of the pudding.

Top with your whipped topping and then drizzle the whipped topping with the lemon syrup and top it with a piece of candied lemon peel. 

Put a lid on them and they are ready to go to what ever function you want to take them to. 

Have a great day.  It is raining here right now, so that sure makes my day.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.