Is it too autumn for Lemon Raspberry??

When I live somewhere more conducive to growing fruits and vegetables, I swear I want a whole backyard full of the junk. Strawberries, raspberries, oranges, grapefruit, avocados; everything!

As it is, the only fruit I have access to in the late summer is raspberries that grow at my mom's. I got a decent bowlful in August and went in search of something new.  What I found wasn't a solely raspberry concoction but it sounded too good not to try.

As advertised at Erica's Sweet Tooth (thank you for publishing the recipe!), these came out lovely and delicate but with just the right balance of flavor.  The 'lemon' cupcakes have only a hint of zest in them and make a stable but light counter to the berry filling. And my family loved the raspberry cream cheese frosting.

All around a hit!  Recipe at Erica's Sweet Tooth.

This is Halloween

woo boy, I've been slacking, right? Well HAPPY HALLOWEEN! All is forgiven??

I made these for the family the other day and completely cheated on the black (I bought the Wilton tubes). I have little patience with getting colors dark but I've heard good things about the AmeriColor brand so I'm going to give them a try when I need a black or red coloring! For now, here are my happy little bloodsuckers!

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!

Rainbows Pride and Love!

Happy Pride Month, peeps! I love rainbows and I love equality. Pride Month is right up my alley! In the interest of full disclosure, I saw this recipe on All Recipes as a "clown cake" and went, 'OOOoo, pretty rainbows!' And then I saw Yahoo's sweet Pride color bar and a light bulb went off. HEY, I can kill two birds with one stone: challenge of a new recipe and support my gay friends and family!

First thing's first, I used a box cake and went by it's specifications. The All Recipes one has it's own that I didn't think was necessary based on the fact that it was just food coloring basically. Second thing, and I can't stress this enough, USE TWO BOX MIXES. I used one and somehow made 12 cupcakes out of a box that insisted it would make 24... Like the other 12 got lost in a black hole somewhere. Gone for eternity... And doubling the recipe will just plain make handling the six separate colors easier.


Okay, so they look like a psychedelic trip from the outside which, when I first saw, got me a little heartbroken because I wanted beautiful layers. Then I bit into one:



HURRAH! I evened out some of the first layers with toothpick to the edges but after the first three, I knew it would come out fine when it started to cook down.


RAINBOW CUPCAKES
Adapted from All Recipes, submitted by lovestohost

2 boxes white cake mix
egg whites
water
oil
purple food coloring gel
blue food coloring gel
green food coloring gel
yellow food coloring gel
orange food coloring gel
red food coloring gel

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare cupcake pans with liners or by greasing.

2. Use egg white option of cake box directions. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the cake mix, water, and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed.

3. Divide the cake batter into six separate ziplock plastic bags. Use a toothpick to scoop a dab of food coloring into each bag. Seal and mix inside bag; add more food coloring, if necessary, to reach the desired shade. Repeat with the remaining colors and bags of batter.

4. Cut corner of bags and pipe 1/6 of the first color in the bottom of all liners. Repeat with the next colors (rainbow going purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red) until cups are 2/3 full.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.


Top with your favorite icing (mine is vanilla buttercream)!

February and chocolate, CHECK

AH HA. I caught you, last day of February! Take THAT, procrastination!

These are just a few mini cupcakes I made in a hurry for Valentine's. They're a box mix. I know. I bring shame on my family. HOWEVER the buttercream icing is real! It's my favorite [because it's so terrible for you]. And they were serious good. Two quick bites of delish. :)


VANILLA BUTTERCREAM ICING

1 cup Crisco Shortening
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
2 tbsps heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (measure then sift)


In your mixer bowl, beat the shortening until it's smooth, add the butter and beat together until smooth and light and fluffy. Add smaller amount of the heavy cream indicated in the recipe and the vanilla and mix well.

Add half the powdered sugar and mix for 5 minutes on low-med speed. Add remaining sugar and mix well. Add more cream or powdered sugar if necessary to adjust the consistency

Add coloring as desired.


I'm making a resolution here and now: MARCH is going to be my baking month. I always tell myself I'm going to make calendar-appropriate recipes like Irish soda bread and green stuff but I never do. Well, I'm putting the pressure on myself right now. SOMETHING GREEN IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING IN MARCH. Or at least have the spirit of Irish-ness.

Fairycakes

I lived in London for a few years (I'm American) and while I was there, I have to admit - and my sincerest apologies to any Brits reading this - but I had pretty bad experiences whilst exposed to English baking. There was just something I didn't GET. From the Christmas puddings to the dense, dry cakes; I suspect I just didn't know where to find GOOD bakery because the local shop on the high street just wasn't it.

So when I started investigating these cupcakes and discovered the glaze-like icing more or less classified it as traditionally British and therefore a "fairycake", I got a little nervous. I did a little further investigation and found that "fairycakes" are kind of just what the British call cupcakes and there's no set recipe or characteristic to the cake itself. A weight was lifted. So I chose something light because, you know. Fairies. (C'mon; I was getting in the spirit!) I found a White Velvet Butter Cake recipe in Rose Levy-Beranbaum's Cake Bible and was intrigued by her endorsement as "the softest and most delicate of all butter cakes". Perfect!


Now, one characteristic that DOES seem a standard of fairycakes is baking the cake small and low enough so the runny icing can be caught by the cup sides and it makes this darling-looking cupcake. Well. I thought I filled them low enough but the damn cakes just rose and went all normal on me. Next time, I'll try half full or maybe even less than that!

I was pleasantly surprised with the cake, though. Rose wasn't lying; it's lovely and soft. AND despite it being soft, it worked; sometimes, when cupcakes are too soft, they're hard to handle or can't take the weight of even a basic buttercream or frosting. Because I was using such a light icing, the soft cake was perfect.


However, the icing didn't come out tasting as I expected. I'll chalk that up to inexperience. I used just powdered sugar and lemon juice, expecting the sugar to dull out the lemon. Yeah, that didn't happen. So instead of just being a sweet icing, it's lemon icing. But that's okay because the cake itself isn't too sweet and the two go well together (but lemony).

So, I have the powdered sugar sifted and the lemon juice waiting to put together for the icing when I realize I have no sprinkles. That was the whole point of these things - that you just sprinkle pretty sparklies on top and they sink into the thin icing while it's wet and it still looks adorable! And I have NONE. So. Plan B. I whipped out my white chocolate, melted it, added some coloring and started using toothpicks to put it in these tiny flower molds. I was surprised to see how cute they came out looking (especially since I had nothing else).

It's my birthday today so these are kind of perfect to post. Because they're pink and fun and wee!


WHITE VELVET BUTTER CAKE
Source: The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum

4 1/2 large egg whites
1 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (must be softened)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth surface with a spatula. The pans will be about 1/2 full. Bake cupcakes 15 to 18 minutes (or two 9-inch by 1 1/2-inch pans greased and bottoms lined with parchment then greased again for 25 to 35 minutes) or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. (Cake will be light and will not brown even when done.) The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. For 9-inch pans, loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.


LEMON ICING
Sift powdered sugar to remove lumps. Mix with freshly squeezed lemon juice until icing is in a thick but runny enough consistency to slowly run over top of cupcakes. Add small amount of coloring if desired.

Reddish Pink Velvet

You know, I love trying new recipes but I've run into a predicament: if I make something that I've never had before, I don't know if it's RIGHT. That is to say, I'm not sure that I've made it in the usual way it's supposed to be. Now, I guess one could argue that as long as it's good, it's a success. But not me; I wouldn't argue that. That's silly logic.

So I got bored the other day and decided to try red velvet cupcakes. The first recipe I had saved was Paula Deen's and I thought, Hell, she's a Southerner; these should be as standard as they come.


The batter was pretty sticky looking and I only had one tablespoon of red dye on hand (who has that much liquid red dye sitting around??). So it looked like pink glue. They baked up fine but once I took a bite, they were kinda... plain. I was expecting a dense, dark and rich cake, akin to chocolate in its texture. This was kind of just regular, fluffy cake with a tiny hint of cocoa.

Needless to say I was disappointed and a little baffled. Surely this is not how most red velvet cakes come out... I've SEEN them; they're THICK. I sort of concluded that it must be this recipe that was less than stellar. I would like to try a different one but I've got to get to the store for more red dye. Maybe some other time; I wasn't terribly impressed with the taste so I'm not in a rush to duplicate.

Besides, it's FALL. Time for pumpkin and warm, yummy foods!



RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Source: Paula Deen

For the cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar


For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.


For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

ChocoNanaButter, Experiment 2

The chocolate-banana-peanut butter experimenting continues. I feel a little like a mad scientist, just concocting stuff with three ingredients and hoping it'll hold together. My more wackier ideas are looking better and better as I work on the balance of said ingredients. The key seems to be the banana is very easily overpowered by the strong chocolate and peanut butter flavors. Even here, with banana creme filling in the cupcakes, the intense chocolate and creamy peanut butter completely take over and then just a hint of banana comes through in a bite.

I'd like to start toying with more predominantly banana recipes (like banana ice cream with chocolate or maybe peanut butter cup chunks stirred in) to see if that helps balance the flavors. I also bought banana flavoring which I am, admittedly, terrified of (mostly because it's "imitation" and alcohol based). I'm just not too comfortable with putting something like that in my cooking...

But even if you're not feeling adventurous or, you know, inclined to this ChocoNanaButter creation, the straight peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes are amazing. They're Ina Garten's (with a guest author for the peanut butter icing) so you know they're good.

The icing is sweet buttery goodness..

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE & BANANA CUPCAKES
Adapted from Ina Garten


Chocolate Cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
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
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Banana Creme Filling, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

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.

Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 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.

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 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before filling with banana creme and frosting.




Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

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.


Banana Creme Filling

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 large banana
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan until very hot but not boiling.

Mix the sugar, flour and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the hot milk and beat until well blended. Pour back into the pan and continue to stir vigorously over low heat for minutes, until very thick and smooth. Add the egg yolks and cook for a few more minutes. Cool, stirring from time to time.

Mash the banana and beat it until smooth. Add tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional), and stir the mixture into the cooled filling.

Cut a cone out of the cooled cupcakes. Trim tip of top cone, fill cupcake with cooled banana creme and return top of cupcake.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Cuckoo for Coco

For my birthday back in April, my best friend got me this adorable cupcake tree that I've wanted since the beginning of time. Or, uh, since I first saw it a few years ago.

She got me the one for mini cupcakes which I've, surprisingly, never made before. I know, right? I'm a cupcake maniac; you'd think I'd be all over the map with my cupcake adventures. I've also never made (or eaten) coconut cake. So, naturally, I went to my reliable Ina. They were good, of course, but I find Ina's cakes sometimes to be a little more dense than I'd like. I'm not looking for a chiffon-type texture but something a little lighter. I'll definitely try another recipe later to compare the two. Maybe my perfect cake is a pipe dream...

But these were absolutely worth making. They were a hit with my taste testers! :)


COCONUT CUPCAKES
Source: Ina Garten (cupcakes) and Williams-Sonoma (icing)

For the Cupcakes:

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 oz. sweetened, shredding coconut


For the vanilla frosting:

12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes – until light and fluffy. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Lin a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

While cupcakes are cooling, make the icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the 2 cups coconut into a shallow bowl.

Using an icing spatula, frost the top of each cupcake, mounding the icing in the center. Holding the bottom of each cupcake, roll the frosted top in the coconut.

Easter goodness

I've been neglectful of the blog, it's true, but I have decent excuses that are too boring to go into. Suffice it to say, there were reasons. I return with cutesyness I dare you to refute!

I saw this eggs-in-the-grass-frosting decoration and knew I had to try it, if for nothing else than to just line them all up and see a field of greenery. I can't help it; I'm a Taurus and we're irrationally drawn to Earthy tones and, oddly, pastels.

I also dyed eggs for the first time in YEARS and while exact colors were an exercise in futility (see the lone "purple" atrocity), I like how they came out because they're PASTELS. I have so much love for Easter simply because it's so damn pretty.

But back to the cupcakes. I tried a new recipe, Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes from Billy's Bakery in NYC. They're definitely very vanilla-y and they're good but I'm not sure I'd make it a staple. The cake is tender and, overall, a great little cake but I'm a traditionalist; you're kind of hit over the head with vanilla in these little things. They taste like sugar cookies: sweet and vanilla.

The frosting is also extremely sweet but with this nice, trim grass, it's not a sweet-overload problem for me. I used Wilton's Leaf Green color, the #233 tip for the grass and Cadbury Mini Eggs for the decoration. Et voila! Happy Easter to all!
BILLY'S VANILLA, VANILLA CUPCAKES
Source: Billy's Bakery in New York City via Martha Stewart

Makes about 30 cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and softened
  
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.



BILLY'S VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

More Peppermint??

You guys know me; I'm always going to try to find a way to work cupcakes into any season. Christmas was no exception. I found only a few peppermint cake recipes, however, and feared it was because it just plain didn't taste good. Twas not the case!

I tried two different things: one batch with bits of the Peppermint Bark I made earlier sprinkled on the top of the cakes and another without. One thing I've learned is that white chocolate does NOT bake well. It gets all gunky and brown and it's not real chocolate so I don't know what's going on with it. They tasted fine; there was a crunchy-but-not texture to the top. But I'm a traditionalist and I ended up enjoying the plain cake-with-peppermint-icing ones better. It was important to leave the cake unflavored as I used peppermint oil again and it was very crisp and sharp. The icing is flavored and the cake wonderfully takes the edge off so the whole thing goes together well.

Also to note? The peppermint pieces sprinkled on top go all melty and watery the next day so frost and sprinkle at the last minute if possible (OR frost and sprinkle and then freeze). In case you're wondering, I just threw some candy canes in a double bagged baggie and went to smashing with the edge of a can.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 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

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

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. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 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.

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 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.



PEPPERMINT ICING
Adapted from Ooh You Tasty Little Things

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil (less if desired; use to taste)
  

Mix butter in a large mixing bowl with 4 cups of sugar. Add cream and peppermint oil. On medium speed of electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. Chill for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator before using, and only use to ice cold cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes cure EVERYTHING

I've been having a weird couple of weeks where I didn't want to do anything, including baking. Felt a little burned out. Got some good news this week and was off and running again. And what best to start back on than good ol' cupcakes?


VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING
Source: Ina Garten

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mixing just until smooth. Spread the frosting generously on top of each cupcake.

Lemon Cupcakes: Conquered

In approximately two months, I've completed four flavors of my self-appointed mission to find a really really good recipe for each cupcake flavor I fancied. At four batches per each flavor (except Lemon which I scored on the third), two dozen per batch, I've roughly made 360 cupcakes in the past two months. The bad news is, that was for only the first four flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry and Lemon, and I have many many more to go (Coconut, Banana, Red Velvet, Pistachio, and on and on). The good news? Well, I'm getting pretty decent at whipping up a cake. Practice and all that. I think I've earned a slight reprieve from cake, though. There is so much more to explore.

But for now, I can celebrate in finding Lemon! I was becoming seriously disillusioned with the first couple recipes that came out either dense or crumbly (ugh) or not sweet enough, etc. In them, the lemon juice is added to the batter and there is a significant increase in the eggs. In the last, winning recipe, the eggs are normal, there is only lemon ZEST in the batter. Now, not lemony enough, you cry? WELL. Ina Garten thinks of everything. The lemon juice is sweetened in a saucepan and spooned over the cake for a perfectly lemony but sweet jolt of flavor that infuses through every bite.


The first two attempts I took a shot at different lemon buttercreams (as you'll see in some pictures as the piped icing) but it was just okay. To me, lemon cake is too subtle for the almost-greasy flavor of buttercreams. Ina's recipe called for a simple glaze over the top but her recipe was also for two pound cake pans that are a presentation onto themselves. I needed an icing for cupcakes and a glaze just won't do. I found a very yummy cream cheese frosting recipe on All Recipes but made a few changes, taking out the lemon zest in favor of a smoother, gentler taste so the lemon-on-lemon icing-and-cake combo wasn't overpowering. It came out lovely and they go terrifically together!


LEMON CUPCAKES
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two muffin pans with paper liners or non-stick cooking spray.

1. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You cannot beat too much at this stage so get it very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla.

3. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

4. Cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cupcakes are done, cool for 5 minutes, then set them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

---

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes about 3 cups

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, lemon rind, and vanilla together until smooth and light.

2. Add confectioners' sugar slowly. Beat until creamy. Add more powder sugar or juice as needed for desired consistency.