Lemon Dream Cupcakes

I made these to share with friends on Canada Day, they were so tasty we couldn't stop at just one. This recipe makes a light lemon cake, I like to fill them with home made strawberry/raspberry preserve and frost them with vanilla bean buttercream. I prefer to serve them with fresh strawberries and raspberries.

If you try making these at home pick up a nice raspberry jam with a low sugar content, especially if you plan on frosting them. If you aren't into frosting you could brush the tops with lemon juice and dip them in a little granulated sugar. It gives the tops a very pleasant little crunch like a sugar doughnut.

Lemon Dream Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter,
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar,
1 tsp vanilla,
2 small lemons worth of zest,
3/4 cup milk,
1/4 cup cream,
6 egg whites,
3 cups sifted cake flour,
4 tsps baking powder,
1 tsp salt
(all ingredients should be room temperature).

Cream butter and sugar until white and fluffy, add zest and vanilla.

Lightly whisk your eggs, milk and cream, then set the mixture aside. Sift your dry ingredients all together and set that aside too.

Gently fold half the flour mixture into the butter, then half the liquid, then the remaining flour and liquid.

Fill cupcake cups 3/4 full, leaving some space for them to rise. They take between 15-25 minutes depending on your oven. Bake at 300f if you are using a shiny pan or 350f if using a dark or non-stick pan. If you’d like extra “zing” brush the tops of the cakes with lemon juice when you remove them from the oven. The lemons I used were organic and a bit smaller than your average lemon. I recommend using organic citrus when you are using them for zest.

Happy Baking! =)