Crystal Light® Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I've been so busy lately that I didn't get a chance to post a new cupcake poll for this week. So, I let Josh (my boyfriend) choose again! Lucky him, two of his favorite cupcakes in a row. :) He really loves bright-flavored cupcakes, so we sat at the kitchen table brainstorming cupcake flavors. Eventually, he thought of a GENIUS idea! What if I mix Crystal Light sugar-free lemonade mix into some cupcake batter and frosting to make a lemonade cupcake?!?!!? That kid has an awesome brain! I followed his advice and made up a recipe that is totally delicious. The cupcake is soft and moist with a nice lemony zing. The frosting tastes just like the raspberry lemonade. It's so creamy and refreshing. These cupcakes are fantastic for summer! Enjoy them with a nice cold glass of Crystal Light (they should be paying me for this kind of advertisement!).
PS: I figured out that the secret to perfect cupcakes is making them with a hand mixer as opposed to a stand mixer. I've found that stand mixers tend to over-mix the batter. But they're great for making frosting!

Ingredients (I later added another packet of lemonade to the recipe) Mixing the lemonade with milk.
All scooped and ready to bake!
Cooling...
Luscious, creamy frosting!
Pretty swirls of frosting. All fancied up!

These are original recipes.

Crystal Light® Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 packets Crystal Light® On The Go Raspberry Lemonade mix
zest of one lemon

Frosting
4 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (or cream cheese), at room temp
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons water
1 packet Crystal Light® On The Go Raspberry Lemonade mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating on high speed for 30 seconds between each addition. Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.
5. In a measuring cup, combine milk and lemonade. Mix well.
6. Add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. (You should have 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of milk.) Mix just until flour is incorporated.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine). Cool on a wire rack. When cupcakes are completely cool, make the frosting.
8. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 20 seconds. Slowly add confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined.
9. In a small measuring cup, mix water and lemonade until completely dissolved. Add lemonade mixture to the large bowl. Beat on high speed until frosting is thick and creamy.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5