Lemon Cupcakes!

My friend Barbara and I decided some time this summer to make lemon cupcakes. Why? Because a) I had hot pink and rainbow sprinkles! and b) why not?! We made these suckers like a week or two ago but I am only getting around to posting this because my work has turned into chaos where I spend 9-10 hours looking at two giant computer screens and the very last thing I want to do is stare at more computer screens when I get home. BUT it's finally the weekend and I can handle the computer again and bring to you a very tragic, but good ending to my cupcake story.


So Barbara and I get to making our cupcakes and I mention... hmmm.. the batter doesn't look like a lot and it's also very thick... but we keep on mixing. We set the cupcakes in the oven and like a minute later it dawns on me... I FORGOT TO ADD THE EGGS!! Ooops! Perhaps this is what I get when I bake on a work night. We tried to rescue the cupcakes from the oven, but it was too late, they already formed their first layer of cakeyness. Not to ruin our evening, we track on and make some pretty tasty lemon cream cheese frosting and hope for the best with the cupcakes. They came out deflated, BUT they weren't that bad. They were like a giant lemony sugar cookie/cake.

This tragedy does not end here... and Barbara, if you're reading this, I perhaps haven't told you yet... but after Barbara left that evening... I went back and I re-made those cupcakes properly! And they were even better! Yummy lemony cupcakes and hot pink sprinkles! So here's the recipe and don't forget the eggs!! Cupcake recipe adapted from Joy of Baking.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2/3 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
Zest of one large lemon
Lemon juice from one large lemon (reserve 1/4th of the juice for the frosting)
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Frosting Ingredients

1.  12 oz cream cheese at room temperature

2. 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3. 1 tsp vanilla extract

5. 1/4 tsp lemon extract

6. Lemon juice

7. 2-3 drops yellow food coloring

Steps:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix butter and sugar until well combined
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time
3. Add vanilla and lemon extract
4. In a separate bowl, combine cake flour and baking powder
5. Mix half the flour into the batter
6. Add in half of the milk into the batter
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6
8. Add in 3/4ths of the lemon juice and zest to batter
9. Scoop batter into lined cupcake tin
10. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick is clean when inserted into cupcake

While the cupcakes are baking, prep your frosting.

Steps:
1. Add all frosting ingredients and mix until incorporated and smooth
2. Once cupcakes are cooled, frost cupcakes and eat them!

Eat me!