Lemon Blossom Cupcakes Recipes

LEMON BLOSSOMS (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. (The batter will be thick). Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. (I found a small cookie scoop the perfect thing for making them a uniform size).
• Bake for 12 minutes. (I baked 4 dozen at one time, so it took a little longer--be sure to reverse places in oven for even baking if you cook this many. Also, they come out of the tin better if you cook a little past the golden brown stage so the cake is more firm). Turn out onto a tea towel.
• Make the glaze while the cakes are baking. Sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
• With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
• Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

LEMON BLOSSOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the Cupcakes:
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a standard cupcake pan with twelve paper baking cups, or grease the pan with butter if not using baking cups.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
• Add the vanilla to the milk in a large liquid measuring cup.
• Add one third of the dry ingredients followed by one third of the milk, and mix thoroughly. Repeat. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the last third of dry ingredients followed by the last third of milk. Mix slowly until just incorporated. Add lemon juice and zest, and mix thoroughly at low speed.
• Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a standard-size ice-cream scoop until the cups are two-thirds full, and bake for 16 to 18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the Frosting:
• Combine the ingredients in a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Frost the cupcakes with a swirl, and top with a lemon wedge or piece of lemon zest!

LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 30 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
• Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.
• To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON-CREAM CHEESE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat first 5 ingredients in large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 min. or until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.
• Bake 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese, butter and lemon juice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Spread onto cupcakes.