First I set out to find a raspberry buttercream recipe. While browsing Baked Perfection, an excellent resource, I came upon a recipe for lemon cupcakes. Why have one flavor when you can have two? So, I made lemon and raspberry cupcakes with raspberry buttercream. The results were delicious, but the raspberry cupcake recipe needs to be improved before posting. The recipes below are DELICIOUS!
Lemon Cupcakes (adapted from Baked Perfection)
-to make 12 regular-sized cupcakes:
-1 stick butter at room temp
-2 1/4 cups sugar (less if you don't have a sweet tooth)
-2 eggs
-2 teaspoons lemon zest
-2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoonbaking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350, line cupcake pans with liners.. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl, set aside. Cream together butter and sugar using mixer. Add 3 lemon ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well. incorporate flour mixture to creamed ingredients, a little at a time, alternating with sour cream, until well combined. Scoop abut 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake for up to 25 minutes, check oven at about 21 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they spring back after being gently pressed.
**I have not tried this, but when cupcakes come out of the oven, sprinkle yellow-colored sugar on tops of warmed cupcakes. I thought of this when I was eating them.
Raspberry Buttercream:
-2 sticks butter at room temp
-dash of salt
-1/2 cup raspberry jam
-1 teaspoon raspberry extract
-1 tablespoon milk
-4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
Cream butter and extract until smooth, add jam and salt. Add sugar, a cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down bowl. Add milk when batter gets thick (after about 3 cups of sugar). More or less sugar can be used depending on your preferences, just use less liquid when you begin (or omit milk).
