Blackberry Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe. Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe. Summer has simply flown by.
And if I’m being honest, the fact that I am back at work today makes me want to cry a little – or a lot. I’ve enjoyed working on the blog full time and have certainly disrupted my normal school year sleeping habits. I’m trying to get back into a normal routine, so I woke up super early on Friday morning and decided to whip up some summery cupcakes. It was pretty much a desperate attempt to hold onto my last weekend of summer.
I was staring into my refrigerator for inspiration and after moving some stuff around, (yeah I totally need to add clean fridge to my to-do list) I discovered about a cup of leftover lemon curd and immediately had a plan. Because it was 7:30 am and I had only downed a quarter cup of coffee, I decided that I’d stick with the basics. The result was an ultra light, sweet, yet perfectly tart cupcake that was so incredibly delicious it totally made me forgot about my impending 5:30 am wake up time! If you enjoyed this recipe, you may like... Coconut Cupcakes. Well, I made it through my first week back to work.
And let me tell ya, hanging out in a second floor classroom while the temps soared to the mid-nineties had me begging for fall temperatures or a rather large air conditioning unit. Much like my students, I get cranky when I’m hot, so the thought of turning on the oven after work was not happening. In fact, I really didn’t do much baking or cooking at all last week – I just kind of adjusted to being awake at ridiculous o’clock and also got caught up on episodes of Big Brother. Stop judging me! It’s become a little bit of a guilty pleasure and I kinda think Frank is adorable. Since I slacked all week, I decided to use my time wisely this weekend and whipped up a last couple of summery desserts. After a quick scan of the fridge and pantry, I realized that not only did I not bake last week, but I was also lacking in the whole grocery shopping department. The cakes are made simply, with my favorite Doctored Up Cake Mix recipe.
Nectarine Cupcake. Tiny Cherry and Almond Tea Cakes. Huckleberry Cupcakes with Sweet Cream. Rhubarb and Strawberry Ice Cream. Banana Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream. Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Brian often does our mid-week grocery shopping, I typically include a detailed list and even accompany that list with visual aids (photos) on occasion.
You see, I am a self-proclaimed control freak and he is a chronic over buyer…especially when the shopping list includes meat. So, if I am not specific, he will come home with 10 pounds of beef in tow and virtually nothing else besides maybe a bag of beef jerky and a 12 pack of Coke. Okay, I am being a little dramatic here, but not by much! Serious question though…does meat over buying run prevalent in males? I think it does. Long story short, he went to the store last week ill-equipped to shop…i.e., no Jamie created list. I used my go to white cake recipe from Dorie Greenspan and simply adapted it to up the lemon factor.
Looking for more luscious lemon recipes? Are you swooning over the fab yellow liners and giant sprinkles pictured? If you enjoyed this recipe, you may like... Chocolate and Honey Banana Mini-Cupcakes with Luscious Honey Cream Cheese Frosting. These little cupcakes are very good on their own – soft, light and moist, with tiny specs of grated chocolate, but simply outstanding when frosted with this super-creamy honey cream cheese frosting.
What makes the frosting so special is the absence of icing sugar. Instead, I’m using raw muscovado (light brown sugar can be substituted, if the muscovado is unavailable) and honey to sweeten the frosting. The end result is the clean-tasted and truly luscious frosting, without cornstarchy powdery texture that I dislike in any icing sugar-based fillings.
Makes 3 and a half dozen mini-cupcakes (I noticed, my mini-molds are deeper (Calphalon’s) than most molds by other brands, so it could be easily 4 dozen) For the cupcakes: For the frosting (the amount listed should be sufficient to frost 3 ½ to 4 dozen mini cupcakes): Make the cupcakes: Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the banana puree, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Make the frosting: Triple Banana Double Caramel Mini Cupcakes. This is my basic and the most often used banana-bread formula.
I do vary flavors, play with different flours, but I usually keep the proportions of the main ingredients the same. The bread is moist but not wet or sticky, just as good as any banana bread should be. I bake this batter as a loaf, cake layers or cupcakes, according to my mood or need. Let me explain the cupcakes’ weird name.