Lemon cupcake goodness, I promise you I won't steer you wrong with this recipe

To me lemons are one of the foods I define summer with and use in everything. Lemon shrimp, lemon risotto, lemon vodka infused vodka (I couldn't help myself) and lemon cupcakes. This particular recipe i'm sharing is a favorite of my mothers when I make it and is always included in at least a couple of our summer gatherings as a family, July 4 being one of the staple dates. This cupcake is a lemon cupcake which I've frosted in a lemon ginger cream cheese frosting and topped with homemade candied lemons (don't stop reading it's not as hard as it seems, I promise). I don't pipe my frosting on this recipe because I like the homemade aesthete for these cupcakes and always think its a tribute to the simplicity of this recipe (-:

I also included recipe link for candied lemons that I found on ButterYum's blog...

Enjoy your day and Bon Appetit!

XO,

C

You will need 2 cupcake pans lined with your preference of liners

Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

• 2 cups sugar

• 4 eggs

• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour ( I make my own from 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder for every 1 cup of flour shifted together and then I don't have to keep two different types of flour on hand)

• 1 cup buttermilk (also can be made stirring in a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup of whole milk and letting sit for 5 mins)

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tbsp of lemon zest

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (room temp)

• 2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

• 1tbsp fresh grated ginger

• 2 tsp ground ginger powder

• 4-5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (depending on how sweet you want frosting and consistency)

• Candied Lemon Wedges (link located above for recipe)- optional and can make in advance and will need to make in advance at least 24 hours before use

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cup cake pans

To make the cake: Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans using a regular sized greased ice cream scoop. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, zest of lemon and ginger and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and ginger powder and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Frost with a cake spatula or butter knife and garnish each cupcake with a lemon wedge.