Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Sometimes it's the end of the summer, it's raining, you're feeling a little sad and you decide you need a pick me up.  So you decide to make some lemon wonderfulness in the form of cupcakes with cream cheese icing because this the kind of problem best solved by cream cheese.  Actually, most problems would be best solved by cream cheese and buttermilk and this has both!!

Lemon Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1¼ cups buttermilk

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

10 oz. Chilled Cream Cheese

6½ tablespoon unsalted butter at room temp.

3¼ cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ a lemon

Yields 24 cupcakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl beat butter until softened using an electric mixer, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl.

3. Mix together buttermilk, vanilla and lemon juice. Slowly add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix.

4. Fill the cupcake wells about half full (be careful this recipe rises a surprising amount).  Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center come out clean.  Let cool for five minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Frosting  

5. Combine cream cheese and butter in bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined.  Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until combined and smooth.  Frost your cupcakes as desired when they are completely cooled.

 Cupcakes are adapted from Martha Stewart, Cream Cheese adapted from Annies-Eats.