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Thursday, April 19, 2012

lemon raspberry cupcakes

have i ever told you that i don't have a 'full button'?
well yeah, i don't.

it's rather inconvenient when you think about it.
i am missing that little trigger in your brain (stomach?)
that tells you when you've had enough to eat.

consequences of having this rare disease (ha)
are that i can eat an unnecessary amount of food without really noticing

let me tell you. had i not counted these cupcakes when they were coming out of
the oven to be sure every last one was accounted for, i could have eaten them all.

they are that good.

you know that i love a great cupcake,
but sometimes the richness of it all is just TOO MUCH.
too much chocolate, too much sugar, too much sweetness, too much frosting...
you know, too much cush getting put on my tush!

these have a refreshing 'i'm not as cupcakey as you think' feel to them.
lots of fresh lemon juice and lemon peel give them a fresh taste,
and the frosting glaze is a great substitute for the
cream cheese frosting glob that normally sits on top.

think raspberry lemonade on a summer day.
that's what is happening in these cupcakes :)

enjoy!

ingredients

3/4cup(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3cupspowdered sugar, divided
4 1/2teaspoonsfinely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cupsself-rising flour
1/4cupbuttermilk
4tablespoonsfresh lemon juice, divided
12teaspoonsplus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries (for garnish)


directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. 


2. using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar,
and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. 


3. add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition.
beat in half of flour. add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend.
beat in remaining flour.



4. drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. 
spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.
































tip: i decided to even out my top and bottom dollops
with the back of a spoon to be sure the jam stayed in place.

also, when biting into the cupcake (although AMAZING)
i would have liked the jam to sit slightly higher.
so i would be slightly more generous on the bottom dollop
of batter than the top one. make sense?

5. bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
cool cupcakes in pan on rack.

6. meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar,
2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl.
spoon icing over half of your cupcakes.
whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. spoon over remaining cupcakes. 
let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. garnish with raspberries.







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