Spring Time Lemon Butter Cupcakes
My reason for making these cupcakes is two-fold. First – I wanted to make something that reminded me of warmer, nicer weather. But probably more to the point – I had a bunch of lemons and buttermilk in the fridge that I needed to use up. I was also having some issues with a chocolate cake that I can’t get right so I wanted to make something I knew I could make with my eyes closed – Lemon Butter Cupcakes. To go along with these cupcakes I used some Vanilla Swiss Merengue Buttercream I had left over from a cake I made for a friend.
These cupcakes are super easy to make and will be just what you need to get you over these April showers. They are bright, sweet, light and lemony – without being tart. I learned how to make these at a cupcake workshop taught by Chef Melanie Underwood at the Institute of Culinary Education. Some people made them with a lemon curd and added lemon juice and zest to the buttercream. I think these taste best without any fuss – just slab on some Vanilla Swiss Merengue Buttercream, take a bit and enter lemony bliss. Enjoy 
Lemon Butter Cupcakes
by: Chef Melanie Underwood
from: Cupcake Workshop at NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) Unsalted butter, room temperature and cut up into 1 inch pieces
2 cups Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
2 tablespoons Lemon Zest
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray cupcake pans. (I never do this if I use cupcake liners as I find it makes a greasy mess) Line with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Add in 1/2 of the buttermilk. Add another 1/3 of the dry and add remaining half of buttermilk mixture. Finish with remaining dry ingredients. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until the cake springs back when touched in the center, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Click here to find the recipe for the Vanilla Swiss Merengue Buttercream.
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Katrina — April 15, 2009 @ 2:25 am
Those look GO good and spring-y! I love the way you pipe on the frosting!
Liliana — April 15, 2009 @ 2:29 am
These cupcakes look amazingly wonderful and delicious! Your did a great job!
Stef — April 15, 2009 @ 2:44 am
Those couldn’t be any more perfect for Spring! Thanks as always for stopping by my blog. You always make me smile! I’m sure vodka would be great in my punch, but the fetus probably wouldn’t like it.
Steph — April 15, 2009 @ 6:29 am
Your cupcakes look soooo cute!! I love how you piped the frosting. Lemon is so refreshing!
Megan — April 15, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
Your cupcakes look beautiful. I never have the patience to pipe frosting on like that… but it looks totally worth the time!
Dawn — April 15, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
now that’s a good recipe! I want to try that one.I am so bad at decorating cupcakes. I need lessons.
Manz — April 15, 2009 @ 1:37 pm
These look amazing…frosting looks like lovely lemony clouds. Yum!
burpandslurp — April 15, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
yumm….I love lemony desserts. did you know this week’s BSI ingredient is lemons? maybe you can send this in?
Mary Jo — April 15, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
these look like the perfect spring cupcakes
i love the way you decorated the tops.
Kaitlin — April 15, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
Hey just found your blog and it looks delicious! This recipe is perfect because I have some leftover buttermilk in the fridge as well! One question though, if I only have salted butter on hand, can I just omit the salt in the recipe, or does that not work? Thanks!
Shari@Whisk: a food blog — April 15, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
I love your festive frosting. And lemon cupcakes are my favorite.
Bunny — April 16, 2009 @ 12:27 am
Look at those ingredients, you know those cuppies are good! You did a fantastic job decorating them too!
Mermaid Sweets — April 16, 2009 @ 1:22 am
These look great, love the frosting. Sorry the chocolate cake didn’t work out.
Cate — April 16, 2009 @ 2:02 am
They look so cute and perfect for Springtime. Now if only the weather would cooperate…
Donna-FFW — April 16, 2009 @ 2:32 am
These look so vey delicious. I love how you decorated them..
17andbaking — April 16, 2009 @ 7:44 am
These cupcakes are so cute! There’s something so summery and flowery about them I can’t help but think of spring.
Ingrid — April 16, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
Sounds good! Love the look of all the dots of buttercream! I’m gonna try that with the next batch of cuppycakes I make.
Thx!~ingrid
Teanna — April 16, 2009 @ 6:11 pm
Your piping is super cute! I think you’ve given a bunch of us decorating inspiration!
Tracey — April 17, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Those look wonderful! I’ve got a bunch of lemons sitting around too and I think these are the perfect solution to my problem
sugen11 — April 17, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
My mouth is watering, why didn’t you save me some?!?!?!?!?
Justin Schwartz — April 18, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
lemon makes everything better…
Pamela — April 18, 2009 @ 2:38 pm
Sigh…I love lemon!!! Two thumbs up from me!! Great job.
Elyse — April 18, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
Mmm, I love that you just happened to have some lemon and buttermilk on hand–the perfect ingredients, in my mind. These cupcakes look totally awesome. And of course, the buttercream sounds delicious!
apparentlyjessy — April 19, 2009 @ 12:11 am
I love lemon cupcakes, and these look really special! Perfect for spring! I had a banana cake curse once…maybe you have got the dreaded perfect chocolate cake curse?!
Never fear, it always passes!
Lynnylu — May 7, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
Beautiful cupcakes! They are absolutely perfect!
duodishes.com — May 18, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
Anything lemon/citrus will take the cake. Pun intended. Double yum!
Sophie — May 19, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
How cute, very summery; the frosting looks great, love the piping!