Luscious Lemon Cupcakes with Tangy Lemon Frosting— More 90th birthday party fare

Four types of cupcakes in all for Mom's 90th birthday and this is another outstanding recipe from Nicki Danner-Anderson, former resident of Abilene and owner of  The Cupcake Café in Arizona. This recipe, that she credits to her grandmother, appears in the 10th edition of the Home Cooking Cookbook available at the Dickinson County Heritage Center. 

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes  Yield: 26-30 cupcakes  
Note: This cake uses the same proportions and basic ingredients as Nicki's Good Olé Vanilla Cupcakes, except it changes out vanilla for lemon juice and zest.  

2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

4 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar

Tangy Lemon Frosting (recipe follows)

Fun kitchen gadgets make lemon juicing and testing easy!
Above—a lemon squeezer.
Below—a microplane zester.

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  Line cupcake/muffin tin with paper liners.

3.  In medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

4.  Combine eggs, lemon juice, zest, oil, buttermilk, and sugar in a medium/large mixing bowl. Mix until fully combined.

5.  Add dry ingredients, and mix until no lumps appear.

6.  Fill liners ⅔ full with batter, and bake for 14 to16 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Above: Ready to go in the oven.
Below: Just out of the oven. 

7.  Cool completely on wire rack before frosting with Tangy Lemon Frosting.

Tangy Lemon Frosting     Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 to 4 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed (add more as needed if you want it more tangy)

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 to 3 tablespoons milk (add more as needed)

4 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed)

1.  In medium/large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth.

2.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and powdered sugar. Mix until completely combined and no lumps appear.

3.  Frost cupcakes and enjoy! 

Other cupcakes for her party include:

Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes 

Mom's Chocolate Cupcakes with French Silk Frosting

Good Olé Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Swirl Frosting

Recipes without photos . . .

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes with Tangy Lemon Frosting  Yield: 26-30 cupcakes    

2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

4 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar

Tangy Lemon Frosting (recipe follows)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°. 

2.  Line cupcake/muffin tin with paper liners. 

3.  In medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. 

4.  Combine eggs, lemon juice, zest, oil, buttermilk, and sugar in a medium/large mixing bowl. Mix until fully combined. 

5.  Add dry ingredients, and mix until no lumps appear.

6.  Fill liners ⅔ full with batter, and bake for 14 to16 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

7.  Cool completely on wire rack before frosting with Tangy Lemon Frosting.

Tangy Lemon Frosting     Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 to 4 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed (add more as needed if you want it more tangy)

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 to 3 tablespoons milk (add more as needed)

4 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed)

1.  In medium/large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. 

2.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and powdered sugar. Mix until completely combined and no lumps appear. 

3.  Frost cupcakes and enjoy!