So, I may or may not have gotten into a little bit of trouble with my mom to get this cupcake recipe here for you. Truth be told, my mom had started asking me about what sort of cupcakes were wanted for my birthday a week or two before it, but a whole lot of stuff went on and I never got an answer to her until we sat down together at my dad's birthday dinner.

She asked me again and I finally explained to her that I wanted to make my own cupcakes this year so that I could put it here. She was a little upset and thought it was completely strange that I wanted to make my own cupcakes. You see, she had her own little plan in mind, un un-benonced to me. Whoops!

What can I say? It was worth it! These cupcakes couldn't have come out any more perfect. They are perfectly sweet and tart without being completely overwhelming. I started out with a vanilla cake mix that I infused with lots of lemonade and fresh lemon too; I wanted that pop of bright lemon bursting through. To further get that lemony goodness, I filled these guys with lemon curd - one of my most favorite things on the planet.

Of course, I couldn't stop there, so I created a fun pink raspberry frosting to go there on the top. And honestly, I can't say enough good things about this frosting. Even if you don't like frosting, you might just like this one since it isn't super sweet.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a way to properly use a light butter to make a buttercream frosting, so I had to use regular plain butter for that - but everything else that's gone into these was lightened up in some way, shape, or form.

Yum! These lemon surprise cupcakes are so perfectly full of summer flavors, and I can honestly say that everyone that tried them here loved them!

Skinny Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 24 • Size: 1 Cupcake • Calories: 163.6 • Fat: 4.2 g • Carb: 28.8 g • Fiber: 0.4 g • Protein: 1.4 g • Sugar: 10.7 g • Sodium: 153.3 mg

Ingredients:
Lemon Surprise Cupcakes:
17 Oz. Vanilla Cake Mix
1 C. Light Lemonade
6 Oz. Fat Free Lemon Greek Yogurt
2 Egg Whites
1 Lemon, Zested
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 C. Lemon Curd

Raspberry Frosting:
1/2 C. Frozen Raspberries, Thawed
1/2 C. Butter
1 1/2 C. Confectioners Sugar
1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line cupcake trays with 24 paper cups; giving them a quick coat of non-stick baking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the 17 Oz. Vanilla Cake Mix, 1 C. Light Lemonade, 6 Oz. Fat Free Lemon Greek Yogurt, 2 Egg Whites, 1 Lemon, Zested, 2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
, and 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners.

Place in the oven to bake for # minutes.

Once done, remove from the oven to cool.

Once the cupcakes are cool enough to handle, transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Using which ever method you'd prefer, hollow out the center of the cupcakes.

I do this using a long narrow tip for piping, but a pairing knife would work too!

Place the lemon curd into a small piping bag or ziplock with the tip cut off to easily fill the center of each cupcake.

Place the 1 C. Raspberries into a small pot and heat over medium heat until starting to bubble and thicken.

Allow the sauce to cool slightly before pressing through a mesh; leaving you with seedless smooth raspberry sauce; place in the fridge or freezer to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, whip the 1/2 C. Butter until smooth and fluffy.

Carefully adding the 1 1/2 C. Confectioners Sugar, 1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice, and 1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract; beat until well combined.

Add in the raspberry sauce and beat to combine once again.

Place the frosting into a piping bag or another large ziplock with the corner cut off.

Frost the cupcakes however you desire.

Enjoy right away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days; removing to the counter to warm slightly before eating.