With the heat of the summer already beating down, no one wants a rich, decadent dessert. These raspberry lemonade cupcakes, made with lemonade and topped with fresh raspberries, provide a light and refreshing twist to the classic cupcake.

Lemon-flavored cupcake:

Ingredients:

1 box (18.25 ounces) white cake mix

1 box (3 ounces) lemon Jell-O powder

3 egg whites

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cup water

Directions:

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, add the cake mix, Jell-O powder, egg whites, oil, and water in a mixing bowl. Beat for two minutes until blended. Then fill the cupcake liners until they are half full with the mix and bake them for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Raspberry Lemonade Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup of softened butter

7 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed

2 drops red food coloring

Directions:

First, beat butter, powdered sugar, raspberry lemonade, and food coloring on high for five minutes, until light and fluffy. Fill a decorator bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sparkly coarse sugar and top with a fresh raspberry.

Emily Cassidy is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.