Lemon Birthday Cupcakes

Another birthday and this time for a birthday boy (maybe not boy but man?) who loves lemons.  Last year I made him lemon squares that he really liked. This year, I went with lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting with cream cheese.

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

Lemon Birthday Cupcakes

Adapted from here.

Makes 14 cupcakes.

Ingredients

½ cup salted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cup cake flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup milk with a small slash of vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon juice

Direction

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with liners.

2.       In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

3.       Add eggs one at a time and beat.

4.       In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. 

5.       Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, lightly blending after each addition and alternating with milk.

6.       Add lemon zest and juice and blend just until mixed.

7.       Scoop into baking pans and bake for 16 minutes.  Cool before frosting.

Lemon Two-Toned Frosting

Adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Ingredients

½ cup butter (original recipe calls for ¼ cup of shortening and ¼ cup butter)

2 oz/55 g cream cheese

1 Tablespoon glucose (or 2 teaspoons corn syrup)

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½ cups icing sugar

Pinch of baking powder

Rind from ½ a lemon

Directions

1.    Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy.

2.    With the mixer on low, stream glucose, corn syrup, and lemon juice.  Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until silky.

3.     Mix in icing sugar and baking powder and beat until smooth.  Add lemon rind and mix.

4.     Divide frosting in half and add yellow food colouring to one half.

5.     Add both colours of frosting to a pastry bag.

Vanilla soak

Mix 2 Tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small bowl.

Assembly

With a pastry brush, apply vanilla soak to tops of cupcakes.

Pipe frosting.

Verdict: The birthday boy loved these lemony cupcakes.  They were a bit dense for my taste, a tad reminiscent of a pound cake. I prefer light fluffy cupcakes like this (link here) lemon chiffon cupcake.  But these got great reviews from the entourage!  If I had time, I would’ve gone out to buy those jelly candies that look like lemon slices and topped the cupcakes with them, and stuffed them with lemon curd – next time, next time.