This is, by far, the BEST lemon cupcake recipe I've found. My sister got the Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes for a birthday present and I have to admit, I use it way more than she does. This is one of the many [awesome] recipes in there, and it's one of my favorites. I altered it a bit just to make it special. Here we go:
2 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of butter, softened
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon for grated zest (about 2 1/2 tablespoons worth)
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2/3 cup of milk
To begin, heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set up your cupcake pan with baking cups. *if you don't have baking cups, grease and flour the pan
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate medium-size bowl and put to the side.
In your large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 30-60 seconds. Gradually pour in the sugar.
Beat for 3 minutes and then add the eggs, one at a time. Let each egg mix in before adding the next.
After that's all mixed in, add the vanilla and the lemon zest.
Alternately add the flour mix and the milk a little bit at a time.
When everything's finished mixing, fill the baking cups up 2/3 of the way with batter.
Bake for 21-23 minutes (regular-size baking cups)
Bake for 12 minutes (little baking cups)
Stick a toothpick in the center of the cupcakes to see if they're finished.
When the cake is all done, it's time to pick your decoration technique. Yup, that's the icing. Or no icing, if you prefer. I think these cupcakes are super yummy with just a little bit of powdered sugar sprinkled on the top. But here are some icing options!
Vanilla Buttercream:
6 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla
4 tablespoons of milk
This makes plenty of icing, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.
Mix the powdered sugar and butter in your large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the vanilla and milk.
If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Lemon Buttercream:
6 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
This makes plenty of icing, too.
Mix the powdered sugar and butter in your large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Happy Baking (:
