Easter - Lemon and Black Raspberry Cupcakes

Easter weekend was entirely too early this year! Despite cutting into my spring break time, I had a good time, and it was a good opportunity to bake.

We celebrated with Adrian's family in Columbus. As is customary with his family, the dinner was beyond huge. I volunteered to make dessert so as not to interfere with the other deliciousness being served, and I ended up being persuaded to make an appetizer too. Apparently, everyone loves my spinach artichoke dip because Adrian's sister called me at 11:00 the night before and asked if I could bring it. Fortunately, I had all the ingredients, and it is easy to make. Actually, I shouldn't claim this recipe as mine because my mom gave it to me, and my aunt gave it to her :-)

In addition to the dip, I executed my first attempt at a recipe from How To Eat A Cupcake, the lemon and black raspberry cupcakes. These weren't necessarily my first choice out of all the cupcakes, but they seemed to be the most appropriate for spring/Easter.

I did a few things differently from the recipe on the blog. First, instead of the "cone method" to fill the cupcakes, I used a Bismarck tip on a pastry bag to inject the jam into the center of the cupcakes. I also had fresh raspberries and extra lemon zest, so I used those a finishing touches. The cake was good, although very dense. The whipped buttercream was the perfect frosting for it since it was so light and lemony, and the jam in the center also helped to balance out the dense cake. I think I'd almost prefer these as a muffin with some modifications, but they were definitely fun to make.

Lemon Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or lemon concentrate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my own addition)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating 1 minute after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix until completely integrated. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix the batter for 30 seconds.
5. Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

*You will also need a jar of black raspberry jam for the filling. HTEAC describes the "cone method" to fill the cupcakes in which one cuts a small cone out of the center of the cupcake in order to fill it. I simply filled a pastry bag with jam and used a special tip to put the jam in the center.

Whipped Lemon Buttercream
Makes 2-3 cups
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup heavy cream

Cream the butter and confectioners' sugar in an electric mixer on low to medium speed until fluffy. With the mixer on low, add lemon juice and zest, then slowly add the cream. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.