Skinny Strawberry Soda Cupcakes {with only 2 ingredients!} and a crazy awesome lemon cream cheese frosting!
Okay, confession time. I hate frosting. With a passion.
I don’t mean I hate eating frosting… in fact, I love frosting. But frosting with frosting?? NOT my thing.
In fact, if you were to search cupcakes on YHE, you would find T-W-O cupcake recipes total. Two is not a lot of cupcakes for a food blogger who has been blogging for 3 years, guys!
I love making cupcakes and eating them but when it comes to making the frosting pretty? I #fail every time. Any tips you can give me on it would be appreciated. 😉
Today is another Mystery Dish recipe! The ingredients were given by the cutest Katie from Made to be a Momma. This was probably one of my most favorite ingredient list to date! (I think I say that every time though, ha!) Here’s the list: *Poppyseed *Lemon *Cream cheese *Hot sauce *Chicken *Orzo Pasta *Baby spinach *Coconut *Mushrooms *Ritz crackers *Fresh herbs ( any kind).
Tons of ideas popped into my head after reading this list, but I ended up making some super delicious soda cupcakes. I love adding soda to cake or brownie mixes to make them low calorie. It’s so SO easy and the outcome? A really soft, light as air, moist cupcake!
Cream cheese frosting is probably the most awesome kind of frosting that was every created. Add in a little lemon flavor and BAM. Perfect topping to a strawberry cupcake. Because strawberry and lemon were supposed to go together, right?
These soda cupcakes are a great treat to make for your special someone this Valentine’s Day. Or make them just because! They are just that awesome, ugly frosting or not. 🙂
(2-Ingredient) Strawberry Soda Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 12-oz can Diet 7-up, room temperature
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 8-oz pkg. light cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tbsp. room temperature unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tins with 18 mufifn liners and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, pour the cake mix. Pour the diet soda in slowly to the cake mix. Stir together with a whisk until all lumps are gone.
- Scoop batter into muffin liners, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack.
- While cupcakes are cooling, bump up oven temperature to 400ºF. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, or until toasted, stirring every so often so it doesn't burn. Pull out of oven and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon juice. Blend together with a mixer until all combined and smooth.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Now, devour! 🙂
Check out what my Mystery Dish friends made this month:
- Soft Lemon Poppyseed Cookies by I Dig Pinterest
- Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken by Flavor the Moments
- Grilled Chicken & Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing by Inspiration Kitchen
- Lemon-Poppy Seed-Coconut Cookie Cups by The Smart Cookie Cook
- Skillet Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce by Simply Gloria
- Crunchy Baked Coconut Chicken Nuggets with Spicy Dipping Sauce by The Well Floured Kitchen
- Spinach Chicken Crepes with White Wine Cream Sauce by Living Better Together
- Lemon Poppyseed Coconut Waffles by Made to be a Momma
Hi Jen! The recipe says 1/2 cup of vanilla — should that be 1/2 tsp.?
Oh my heavens, YES! It’s supposed to be 1/2 tsp. vanilla! It’s all changed now. Thanks for the heads up Jill!
These looks so delicious! I love strawberry cupcakes!
Thanks Katie!! You can’t go wrong with a strawberry cupcake (even if the frosting doesn’t look very nice, lol!) xo!
I love these, Jen! I don’t think I can find GF strawberry cake mix, but I can find white or yellow cake mix for sure. Maybe I’ll throw in a box of strawberry gelatin and see what happens 🙂 Thanks!! xo
Thanks Andi!! xo!
These are so pretty, Jen! I just love the pink color, and the coconut addition with lemon cream cheese frosting — delicious!
Thanks Marcie! I just wish I was better at frosting them, ha!
Lemon. Strawberry. Coconut?! Yum! Awesome recipe, Jen! So glad I stumbled upon your blog. It’s lovely!
Thanks Matty!! Can’t wait to check your blog out!
Ummmm – hello!!!!! Game changer!!!!!!!!!! WOW – I’m just as bad about cupcakes – but maybe not anymore.
Hahaha, thanks Gina!!
Hi Jen, first time on your blog! 🙂 I love these cupcakes especially because you topped them with my favorite frosting -cream cheese! I am obsessed with that stuff! and I bet the lemon makes it even more delicious.
Thanks so much Manali!! These cucpakes are the BOMB! I’m a cream cheese lover, too! You will love these! xo!
I can’t believe these cupcakes are made with only 2 ingredients! I so need to try them. Love that frosting by the way!
I love the flavor of strawberries. Yum. I invite you to share at my Thursday hop. You can still link up until midnight tonight) Hugs!
I have a love/hate relationship with frosting too! It’s really my least favorite things to make. These cupcakes, however, look so easy and yummy! I love the soda in there too!
Ok we have a cupcake date and I will teach you how to frost! Pinned! These sound awesome!
Your frosting is NOT ugly at all Jen! Ugly would be how my cupcakes looked when I tried to frost them as a 5-year-old. As in there was more on the wrappers than on the tops. 😉 I haven’t tried soda + cake mix before, but if it’s as easy and delicious as you describe, that just might happen in the future! Pinned!
These look delicious! And I’m loving the bright color! Pinning 🙂
I love 2 ingredient cake/cupcakes!! They are so light and fluffy! And strawberry with cream cheese frosting and lemon and coconut…love it!!!
Will you come over and teach me how to frost them properly, Jocelyn?! Lol! I love all your pretty dessert recipes! Thanks so much for stopping by!
These look delicious! I’m trying them for mother’s day, but am I missing something? Are there calorie/nutition stats for these yummys?
I don’t have nutrition facts for these Tracy. I hope you got the chance to try them! The cupcakes themselves are a weight watchers recipe but the frosting is, sadly, not. 😉 I’ll try and get up the nutrition facts for you sometime soon. Thanks!
i just made these cupcakes and they are delicious. Who would think they would be that amazing with only two ingredients and not to mention so adorable. I decorated with a straw and a pink sixlet! I wish I could show you a picture. Thank you for the recipe.
You might need to email me a picture! Sounds like yours came out way cuter than mine did, lol!
THIS IS NOT 2 INGREDIENTS
HI Alex, yes the cupcakes are 2 ingredients. Of course there would be no way to make cupcakes and frosting with two ingredients, but I can’t leave a cupcake unfrosted, lol! I hope you get a chance to try the 2 ingredient cupcakes, at least. They are really moist and delicious!
The only box strawberry cake mix I could find calls for water, oil and eggs. Does this mean I should add eggs as well as the liquid?
Nope, only add the cake mix and the soda, Maureen! No need to add the oil, water or eggs! (It’s an old Weight Watchers recipe that cuts way down on calories.) Let me know if you try it!
Hi Jen, what is the weight of your boxed cake mix. My local store carries a variety of sizes it.
I believe I used a 15.25oz box but I’m pretty sure any size around that will work just fine! Let me know how they turn out!
those strawberry cupcakes looks so delicious
Thank you Riya!
This looks so cute and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.