Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Sweet Tea Frosting
Today is the specialest Monday I’ve had in a long time.
(Is specialest a word? I mean, I know special-IST is a word, but what about special-EST?? The squiggly red line says no, but who even listens to that old thing?)
Anyways.
Today is a surprise wedding shower for my very sweet friend Christina, blogger behind the site Dessert for Two!!
I got to know Christina about a year ago through her site. I remember that she was struggling with the idea of marriage at the time, and I left her a comment with my two cents (I’m good at giving my two cents…usually I’ll even give you four), and she sent me the sweetest email back. I liked Christina immediately and really hope to meet her in person some day.
Because my comment about marriage is how we got to know each other, I’ll give her my two cents again today :
Christina,
Marriage is hard. SUPER hard. Some days you love your husband so much, you are overwhelmed with gratefulness. And some days, just looking at him makes you want to punch something.
Or him.
But don’t do that, it’s really mean and illegal.
But like anything difficult in life, it’s totally worth it. Because what your husband is, is FAMILY.
Marriage is not always romantic and sometimes it resembles work more than the fun you remember. But one day you’ll look at your husband and realize that his life and yours are so intertwined, you’d feel like you were missing a limb if anything ever happened to him. He will see you at your worst and your best, live through your happiest and saddest moments with you, and love you until the end of time. I have no doubt that the two of you will have a wonderful marriage, and I am SO SO happy for the two of you!!
Now for dessert — I made cupcakes!!
Because Christina is from the South, I knew I had to work Sweet Tea into her shower cupcakes. Sweet Tea is basically required drinking down here in Arkansas, and I’m sure it’s no different in Texas.
Since this is for a shower, I made the cupcakes mini, but you could make these full sized too. The frosting is really easy and has a really great sweet tea flavor.
I know that Sweet Tea Frosting might sound weird, but just trust me.
Happy Wedding Shower Day, Christina!! I hope you love your cupcakes!!
And of course, since this is a shower…there are lots of other fun recipes from Christina’s friends!! Make sure to pop over and check them out!!Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Sweet Tea Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 oz box lemon Jell-O
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- Frosting:
- 3 regular sized tea bags
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 48 mini muffin tins with liners, or 24 regular sized muffin tins.
2. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over 3 tea bags. Let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out excess water. Place tea concentrate in the fridge to cool.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, combine cake mix and Jell-O. Add vegetable oil, water, eggs, and lemon extract. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed for one minute. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched — mini cupcakes about 5 – 10 minutes, and regular sized cupcakes about 15 minutes. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
3. Prepare frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, combine tea, butter, and shortening. Beat on low speed until smooth and combined. Slowly add powdered sugar. Once powdered sugar is barely mixed in, increase speed to medium high and beat for about a minute, until fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes and serve.
**Cupcake batter adapted from Allrecipes.com
Strawberry Macarons from Krissy
White Wedding Cake Cupcakes from Julie
Mini “I Do-nuts” from Tara
Moon Pie Cake from Madison
Whiskey Walnut Blondies from Jenna
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles from Joanne
Chocolate Covered Cheerios from Shelly
Mini Coconut Cream Pies from Megan
Sweet and Salty Party Cookies from Lauren
Thanks for visiting my blog! I realize you could be doing more important things with your time. Like watching the news or washing socks. I hope you stay awhile. Much more fun than socks, I promise. 
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You seriously described marriage perfectly. Love these cupcakes and the sweet tea frosting is just so genius and perfect for her shower!!
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Yeah, the punch days aren’t fun, but the other days make it all worth it!
Love these cupcakes :)
TELL.THE.TRUTH…Iced tea frosting.
Yeah, Thats kinda amazing!
Such a neat recipe, Kristan. I’m thinking I could get my tea fix with that frosting!
Wow, that comment on marriage is so perfect and really struck a chord with me. With a two and four year old (boys), sometimes it’s easy to forget to work on your marriage and recognize the importance, and reading what you wrote to Christina really hit home. Thanks, as always, for being brilliant :)
What a sweet post! The cupcake looks so yummy! I’ll add it to my list of things to try in the next few weeks. I have to say your blurb about marriage hit it dead center! Well said. I always enjoy reading your blog! Happy Monday!!
Your words on marriage made me tear up! Dang hormones. But you are spot on. And these cupcakes are perfect for Christina. I just love her and wish her all the happiness in the world!
awww I love your sweet words about marriage! I’m getting married in April so those are definitely some great tips. In fact, would you like to make me these amazing looking cupcakes for my wedding? haha jk..they sound and look SO good! I love the incorporation of sweet tea!
So cute!! I made sweet tea cupcakes a couple years ago, but they were made with Firefly Sweet Tea, so they had a little vodka kick :)
Aw, I love your advice to Christina! It’s so very true. I often feel like punching the husband, but I just can’t imagine a world without him.
GAH! Y’all are so sweet – I love Christina & her blog! And these cupcakes are totally right up my alley!
First of all, these cupcakes look amazing. And being someone who grew up in the South (AR too!), you are spot on.
Second, I want to give you a big hug. I’m getting married this year and I’ve never had doubts, but hearing that it is hard but 100% worth it makes me sigh with relief. I can’t wait for that part of my life to start!
I’m sure she’ll love these, because I certainly would.
What a great idea, sweet tea frosting! Love the sentiments about marriage, too. I’ll give a big ditto to everything you said.
I love the idea of tea frosting! So creative. This is an adorable virtual shower!
Haha, love this marriage advice! And these cupcakes look scrumptious as well. :)
Oh fun! I was looking for a decent lemon cupcake to try. I can’t wait to try this one!!
Best wishes for a marriage filled with love and joy, Christina! Kristan, your words on marriage are spot on. This advice needs to be engraved in stone (or something) and read at Wedding Receptions, Anniversaries, put on bathroom doors. All men and women who are married or contemplating marriage should heed your words! p.s. Why aren’t you writing an advice column — like Dear Abby? You are such a wise woman your advice needs a larger audience!!!
What great advice! It’s so true I can’t even take it. Love when you speak the truth :). What a great dessert for Christina. So South, So her!
Sweet tea frosting is never weird, but if it is then my wintermelon tea cupcakes are weirder (http://bakehappy.blogspot.com/2012/05/wintermelon-tea-cupcakes.html) :)
I love lemony desserts, and these are so cute! I especially love your comments on marriage, so perfect!!
I love love LOVE your marriage advice! It is entirely true :) Also, sweet tea frosting? Oh my! It sounds absolutely delectable!
KRISTAN! (and yes, I actually say your name correctly in my head!)
These are genius! And gorgeous! And cute! And perfect!
Thanks so much for this! And especially thank you for the advice. It’s real. And I loved reading it.
I’m so grateful to call you my friend! Thanks for doing this for me. I feel so special :)
xoxo x a million,
Christina
Hold on, you can’t just put EST at the end of everything to turn it into a superlative? Since when?
Hmm.
I’ve actually *GASP* never had sweet tea, which is just too sad. The good thing about this is that now my first taste can be in cupcake form. Win.
You said it well! And as for sweet tea frosting, it’s not weird, it’s just genius! So happy for Christina & “Mr. Dessert for Two”! Wishing them all of the happiness in the world!
It’s not different here in North Carolina, we all drink sweet tea, well almost. I’ve heard it referred to as the wine of the south which is SO true! No matter where you go here all you have to do is order iced tea and it’s assumed that you mean sweet, so if you want unsweetened you better say that! I must try these cupcakes!
What a sweet post on marriage. Pairs perfectly with your sweet tea cupcakes. :)
Sweet Tea Frosting! How clever of you to come up with sa sweet icing recipe.
Trust you on that part cause you never let us down with your recipes before so this I just gotta try.
Thanks 4 the recipe.
ColleenB.
Hi Kristan,
This is my first comment on your blog though I have been following your blog for quite some time now :) .. I just had to say, I love your writing. Your posts put a smile to my face whenever I read your posts. So I want you to know that you, all the way from Arkansas, bring a smile to my face, in India, more so, today, while reading your ‘two-cents’ about marriage. One couldn’t describe it more perfectly. I can’t wait to make my hubby read it and go aww again while doing so :)
And yes, continue ignoring the squiggly red line. The grammar police can waltz right past :)
Love,
Niveditha
So I’m only 22 and can’t possibly think of marriage right now, but I have been with my boyfriend for about 6 years and your post/two cents was so heartwarming I sort of wanted to give you a hug through the internet. Hope that’s not weird. And I love these cupcakes! I’ve never thought to put sweet tea into frosting :D
I just love your blog! And I really love your recipes, but I have a slight adjustment; fill your liners 3/4 full, reduce the oven temp to 325 and bake a couple extra minutes. You will get a much fluffier cupcake (it will raise higher). Thanks for all the great tips and for sharing glimpses into your life :-)
Okay you should seriously come up with your own greeting card line… forget hallmark you would make a killin’
as always you rock..
These are perfect with the sweet tea! Very southern :)
Christina is one of the sweetest bloggers I have “met”. I wish her only the best in her marriage!
Oh these look adorable and I’m sure I would LOVE them, they sounds delicious. what a great flavor combo!
That is great advice and it is totally true! What a sweet way to celebrate Christina! The cupcakes look and sound amazing!
Sounds (and looks!) Yummy! I have been wondering for a long time if I could make frosting with my Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Winter Dream Tea Latte tea bags, but couldn’t find a good answer anywhere. This is perfect! Are there any substitutions for the shortening?
Thanks!
Sweet as a southern belle!
Is it supposed to be 3 oz of the jello or one of the smaller .3 oz boxes? I feel like the 3 oz would be a lot more but I can’t tell!