A Taste of Summer

I had this craving for strawberry-lemon cupcakes and did a search on the internet and found this recipe. They were so delicious! My favorite part is that they use real fruit as part of the recipe. I wish the cupcakes looked cuter but I didn't have time to drag out my frosting bags and tips. Here is a couple of things I found with the recipe before I post it:
1- I did the optional syrup and loved having the extra lemon taste.
2- If you don't have a citrus zester you can either get one at wal-mart for around $5-10 or you could probably grate the peel instead. I have a zester that I use for many different recipes so I used that.
3- I used a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer for the batter and had no problems. Just make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature like the recipe says. As a cheat, you can microwave the butter or cream cheese for 15 seconds on high to soften it.
4- I found they cooked better in my oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes rather then 325.
5- I used the same lemon I zested for the batter for the garnish. I dipped the slices in a bowl of sugar so they would taste better if you wanted to eat them or suck on them.
6- There is a lot of extra syrup and frosting so you can make more batter and make more without as much work.

I got the recipe from: http://annies-eats.com/2009/02/24/strawberry-lemonade-cupcakes/ - there is a ton of other good looking cupcake recipes to check out at this website if you get the chance.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 21 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add in the milk and mix until smooth. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup. Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in. (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree). Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices.

Source: cake adapted from Williams Sonoma, frosting from Annie’s Eats