I am reducing the amount of sugar I eat. Sort of. In my world, reducing my sugar intake is avoiding the bad habit of popping hershey's kisses into my mouth on the hour and drinking a Coca-Cola daily (I know---bad).
But a cupcake? A homemade, from-scratch cupcake, with an absolutely fab-tabulous frosting on top? Well, only just one...
Lemon-y Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes
-1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
-1 C. sugar
-1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-8 T. butter (1 stick), softened
-1/2 C. sour cream
-1 large egg
-2 large egg yolks
-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-2 T. lemon zest, chopped fine
Method: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and thoroughly stir in the lemon zest (be sure it is evenly distributed and does not clump together).
In the bowl of a heavy mixer, beat butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolks one at a time, scraping down sides as you go. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix. Pour dry ingredients into bowl and mix only until incorporated (do not over-mix).
With a cooker scooper or spoon, fill muffin cups with batter. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are light brown. Cool for an hour and frost.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)
-1 lb. cream cheese, softened
-3/4 lb. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
-1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar
Method: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Cool in refrigerator until the correct consistency. Avoid eating it by the spoonful.
