Happy almost springtime!

I’ve been so busy recently that I really haven’t had much time to spend in my kitchen. With spring on the way, it’s time to get back to cooking with fresh veggies and baking some sweet new treats.

I’ve actually never baked anything lemon before and I’ve been wanting to try it. These lemon cupcakes were actually inspired by some cupcake wrappers and decorations I had. The liners on these cupcakes are actually yellow with little white polka dots, but of course after baking you can’t even tell. And then there are the daisy toppers. How cute, right? So I wanted to bake something that felt and tasted like spring and ended up with these raspberry-filled lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting. So delicious!

The lemon flavor is so fresh (just don’t pull a Nikki and zest your thumb while you’re zesting the lemons) and the frosting is so creamy and tart. I really love this flavor combination, which is saying a lot for me when chocolate isn’t involved. The cupcakes got great compliments from my co-workers – someone even said it was better than a Georgetown Cupcake!

Raspberry-Filled Lemon Cupcakes

(Cake adapted from Martha Stewart)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tablespoons), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Seedless raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla. Alternate by adding some flour mixture, then some buttermilk, then some lemon juice. Repeat in 3 batches until fully incorporated.
4. Fill cupcake cups half way with the batter. Spoon about a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the center of each cup and press it down into the batter. Cover the jam with the remaining batter.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating pans half-way, until cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 block of 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• A few drops of yellow food coloring

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each incorporation.
3. Blend in lemon juice and add food coloring.
4. Pipe on to cupcakes and decorate!

A view from the inside! The surprise raspberry filling is a perfect flavor addition to the fresh lemon.

Happy spring!

Tweet