Crowned with Fresh Strawberry Frosting and preserved lemon slices, these scrumptious Lemon Cupcakes are as delicious as they are adorable.
Lemon Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Frosting
Serves: 48
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups cake flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh Strawberry Frosting (recipe follows)
- Garnish: Preserved Lemon Slices (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 48-well mini muffin pan with foil liners or paper liners.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon zest with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon extract, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk mixture, in thirds, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating at low speed until combined.
- Using a 2-teaspoon levered scoop, divide batter among wells of prepared pan. Tap pan on countertop several times to level batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.
- Place Fresh Strawberry Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M). Pipe an upright frill of frosting on the top of each cupcake.
- Garnish with a preserved lemon slice, if desired.
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
- ¾ teaspoon strawberry extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, purée strawberries until liquefied. Push puréed strawberries through a fine-mesh sieve. (There should be approximately ¾ cup purée.)
- In a small saucepan, boil purée until it reduces to ¼ cup, stirring occasionally as it foams up, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer purée to a medium bowl, and refrigerate for several hours, or until very cold.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar with a mixer at high speed until combined. Add cold purée, cream, strawberry extract, and salt, beating until incorporated. Add remaining 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Use immediately, or store for up to a day in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Preserved Lemon Slices
Serves: 16
Ingredients
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper.
- Using a serrated knife, cut lemon into ⅛-inch slices, discarding ends.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add lemon slices in a single layer. Cook, turning lemon slices occasionally, until rinds are tender and slices look translucent, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer lemon slices to prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Let dry for 24 hours.
- Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Just before using, cut each lemon slice into sixths.
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