tasty tuesday

Pink Lemon Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- You will need confectioner’s sugar for dusting, later in the assembly

Pink Lemon frosting:
4 cupc confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter – softened
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons milk
pink gel tint

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and prep a cupcake pan with liners. I prefer using fresh lemon juice in all my baking. The best way to get juice from a lemon is to press and roll it on a counter. Then the pulp is all mushy and you have plenty of juice. Two lemons oughta do you.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating after each one.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Here’s a tip, always end with the milk. It makes for a smoother batter.Now mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Fill the cupcake liners TO THE TOP. This will insure that your cup runneth over, with is what you want so that you can cut off the tops!!! (You should have filled about 20 cups.) Bake for 17-20 minutes depending on your oven, test with a toothpick, and cool on a wire rack.


While the cupcakes are cooling – make the frosting:


With an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter. Add the lemon juice, and the zest until combined. THen add the milk – speed it way up until it becomes light and fluffy, then add two squeezes of the tint and mix til the color settles in.

Now with the cupcakes cooled, take a serrated knife and gently cut off the fluffy tops, right at the paper. Using a small heart, or any tiny shaped cookie cutter, cut out the center of the tops. Put them aside or put them in your mouth. Dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar.


Take your pink frosting and frost the top of the now flat cupcake that you just cut. Then place the nicely dusted open top, right on the top of the frosting. There you go. A simple yet pretty cupcake. And oh so lemon-y too.

found this great recipe here
more step by step pictures there if you need them.