I combined a few recipes to create this one, for a baby shower I was helping plan! Makes 24 normal sized cupcakes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp zest + 2 tbsp fresh juice
Preheat the oven to 350F, and line your cupcake pan with paper liners.
Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until everything is combined.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder using a whisk. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, beating at a light speed. The batter should be fairly thick. Pour in the milk, add the lemon zest, and lemon juice, mixing until just combined. Do not over-mix this batter at any point.
Spoon batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check at intervals. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
I made up the frosting, and so the recipe isn't exact.
Roughly cut up about 6-7 strawberries, sprinkle with about 3 tbsp sugar, and set aside for a few minutes. Then puree this in a processor or blender.
Whip about half a cup of cream and add a few tablespoons of cream cheese to this. Then throw in the strawberry puree, while beating with an electric beater. Taste and add more confectioners sugar as required. Add some lemon zest, right at the end, for additional flavor. This frosting was even more delicious than the cupcakes, I kid you not. You could make it with any berry you like!
