Light and Dainty Lemon Cupcakes

I love sugar. I will eat sugary things for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-time. But, let's be real about cupcakes. Sometimes the frosting is too sweet and you can only eat a few bites before feeling it in your teeth.

So when I chose to make lemon cupcakes for a dear friend's Sip & See, I opted for lemon-infused whipped cream for the frosting instead of a buttercream or cream cheese topping.

The result was a light, delicious little cupcake, or described on Allrecipes.com, as "truly lighter than air and will melt in your mouth." It's one that you can eat many of. And I did. (As did my hubs. And my children.).

Lemon Cupcakes (Allrecipes.com )
Makes about 30 mini cupcakes, or about 14 large
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup whole milk, divided
1 1/4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

Lemon Cream Icing

1 cup chilled heavy cream  

1/2 cup powdered sugar (or half of 3/4 cup to be exact)

3/4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. lemon zest

extra lemon zest for topping 

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

3. Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.

4. Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 8-9 minutes for mini cupcakes, and 14-17 minutes for big cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.

To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with a mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Add in the lemon zest. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes, and top with a light sprinkle of lemon zest. Refrigerate leftovers.

 

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

We signed up to receive a weekly bushel of veggies from a local farmer from June - October. We loved having fresh veggies every week, and it forced me to cook things that I normally don't - like pie pumpkin. These little pumpkins are meant for eating and they look just like normal pumpkins, but smaller and found in the grocery section. I decided to cook one in the oven, puree it and use as I would a can of pumpkin. I must say, the pumpkin I had didn't produce that strong of a pumpkin taste compared to the can version, but it felt good knowing it was completely homemade and fresh. And yes, you can freeze the pumpkin puree and thaw when ready to use.

All that being said, these cupcakes are DELICIOUS, especially with a lightly-spread cream cheese frosting. They are from Martha Stewart.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (Martha Stewart - makes 18)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 - 23 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk (whole is better)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat softened cream cheese, milk and vanilla in large bowl on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency.
2. Frost cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting (I tried to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes and it seemed to be too much frosting and I couldn't taste the actual cupcake). Refrigerate any remaining frosting. Frosts a 13x9" cake or fills and frosts two 8 or 9" cake layers.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes

Cupcakes had me down. They are so pretty. Maybe too pretty for their own good. The taste wasn't living up to its looks. So many of my batches were so-so. I even had a conversation with a friend that, perhaps, cupcakes are overrated.

I set out to do some research, and hopefully, prove myself wrong.

These tips really helped me, they come straight from Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Bakery.

• Temperature is key - All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin, otherwise, the ingredients can become lumpy when combined, which encourages overmixing (not good).
• Don't overmix - Stir ingredients together until just combined. Overmixing leads to dense cakes, rather than light and fluffy.
• Use the best ingredients - The quality of ingredients really does make a difference. In this recipe, use organic strawberries. Reviews reported that normal strawberries made it hard to taste their flavor.

Ok, now to the good stuff.

My final tip: find a fantastic recipe. This Sprinkles recipe won me over. The cake is light, fluffy and has a nice flavor. I added lemon zest thanks to another blogger who suggested it. The frosting? Well, it's basically like biting into a strawberry ice cream cone.

Yum.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes
2/3 cup whole fresh organic strawberries
zest of 1 lemon, grated (my addition)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (4 oz)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Sprinkles' Strawberry Frosting (below)

Directions:
   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
   2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
   3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and strawberry puree; set aside.
   4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
   5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
   6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 17 - 19 minutes. Cool completely.

Sprinkles Strawberry Frosting (I halved this and it lightly frosted 12 cupcakes)
3/4 cup whole fresh strawberries
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of a whole lemon, grated (my addition)

Directions:
   1. Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla, lemon zest and 5-6 tablespoons strawberry puree (taste the frosting, add more or less strawberry puree according to your liking); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Simple Chocolate Frosting

This chocolate frosting is really, really easy...but very, very good. If you are a seasoned baker, you'll look at this recipe and think, "Why did she post such a simple recipe?" Well, I just find there are so many recipes out there for frosting, it can be overwhelming choosing one.

Here's one I used on cupcakes today, and the frosting was definitely the highlight. I bet it would work on top of a yellow cake, or even on sugar cookies. This frosts 12 cupcakes.


Simple Chocolate Frosting (America's Test Kitchen)
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
1. Bring cream to a simmer in a pot.
2. Place chocolate in a medium-size bowl, pour hot cream over chocolate and cover with foil for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk chocolate and cream together until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and cool in refridgerator for 45 minutes - 1 hour.
4. Spoon chocolate into standing mixer bowl and whip on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until chocolate forms soft peaks. Spread or pipe chocolate on top of cupcakes, cake or cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

This is pure deliciousness. The peanut butter frosting is the best I've ever tasted. Think peanut butter-chocolate pie, or peanut butter ice cream...yum! Thank you to my friend Lauren from Kansas City to opening my eyes (and mouth...and heart!) to this recipe. Happy baking!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes (Ina Garten)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra large eggs, at room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temp
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temp
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
large handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Lauren's addition)
Kathleen's Peant Butter Icing to follow

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.
5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
6. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.
7. Add in the chocolate chips.
8. Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (be careful to not overbake). Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting. If baking mini cupcakes, reduce cooking time to approximately 10-13 minutes.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

nocoupons

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.