From my kitchen

I made some lemon cupcakes that turned out quite yummy. I have made them twice, once with lemon cupcakes and once with vanilla but both times I made lemon butter cream frosting.



Here's the recipe:

Vanilla cupcakes (makes 1 doz)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 T unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, room temp (you can place the whole egg in warm water to assist in this)
2 large egg yolks, room temp
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350.
>In separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
>In mixer cream butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolks and vanilla.
>Add dry ingredients and beat on medium until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Scrape down sides and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
>Divide batter evenly among paper cups in tin. Bake until tops are pale gold and tooth pick comes out clean. , about 17-20 minutes
Cool cupcakes out of tin and on cooling rack.

Alternative Vanilla cupcake recipe (if you don't have sour cream)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp (if you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe)
2/3 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (you don't need this if you use salted butter)
1/4 cup milk (this is where I put in many teaspoons less milk and put in lemon juice instead to make them lemon cupcakes.)

>Cream butter and sugar then add eggs one at a time blending well after each addition.
>Beat in vanilla.
>>In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
>With mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixer and milk. In 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour.
>Evenly fill paper cups.
>Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
>cool out of tin on cooling rack.


Lemon Butter cream frosting

Grated peel and juice from 1 large lemon
1/2 butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Yellow food coloring
Coarsely crushed lemon candies

Beat butter until creamy and slowly add powdered sugar. Add lemon peel, 1/4 cup lemon juice and several drops of food coloring. Beat on high until light and fluffy. Sprinkle tops with candy.