leene_chan | Finally, something different.

Yellow Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting. Recipe Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.
Originally uploaded by Leenechan

Just to show I've been doing more with my spare time than weeping over my sore muscles and playing ToGf. Here's a yellow cupcake with lemon buttercream frosting. The cupcake recipe came straight from Cook's Illustrated. I used their buttercream frosting recipe as well, but adapted it for lemon flavoring (the article only featured vanilla bean, chocolate, coffee and peppermint variations). I used fresh lemon juice and grated zest. I never use lemon extract in desserts, that stuff is nasty. With the juice of half a lemon and one teaspoon of zest, the frosting is more sweet than tart. I didn't want to burn anyone's mouth off, after all.

When I was growing up, my mother used to make me and my sister yellow cake with lemon buttercream frosting for our birthday...using box mix yellow cake and frosting flavored with lemon extract, oh ho ho...I find that serving yellow cake with lemon frosting for your birthday is a good way to make no one eat your cake. Sorry, Counselor, but the cake can't always be chocolate!