Lemon Cupcakes

A friend of mine asked me to make cupcakes for a family member's graduation party. She requested LEMON! I had never made lemon cupcakes, and truthfully, have never really been much of a fan. But... I have been converted. I found this recipe on a blog called Our Best Bites. The story they told about these cupcakes had me sold. I added candied lemon peel to the top. Recipe is below, and I'll add a pic later.

Lemon Cupcakes
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) of REAL butter
3 c. cake flour (no substitutions here--you really need the lightness of cake flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
5 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons (just zest the other lemons before you squeeze them)
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners (I used yellow, although white would also be cute).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Don't go skimping here--you want the mixture to be almost white and super fluffy. This is absolutely essential to the outcome of the cake.

While butter and sugar are mixing, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. After butter and sugar have mixed sufficiently, With the mixer running, add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until fully incorporated.

Using a standard cookie scoop, place about 2 scoops of batter into each muffin cup. Fill these almost to the top--due to the final texture (again, think super-moist and light pound cake), these cupcakes won't have a nice, curvy crown, but that's okay--no one will ever know or care.

Bake about 20-25 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. You don't want to overbake these even a bit, or they'll start to lose their delicious moisture. Remove from oven and cool completely. Frost with lemon buttercream and garnish with candied lemon peel.

Lemon Buttercream
1 1/4 c. butter (2 1/2 sticks)
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter, lemon rind, and lemon juice in an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating to spreading consistency. Makes 2 3/4 c. I had to 1 1/2 this recipe to make enough for 2 dozen cupcakes.

Candied Lemon Peel
I got this recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.

3 large lemons, washed
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water

Cut the lemons into quarters and pull the flesh away from the pith and peel. Cut the peel with the pith still attached into 1/2-inch wide strips.

Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to boil over high heat. Add the lemon peel and boil for 4 minutes. Drain the peel and rinse under cold water. Repeat this step twice, using fresh water each time, to remove the bitterness from the peel.

In a saucepan, combine 2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water, and the prepared lemon peel. Bring to a simmer over medium-low hear and cook until the peel is soft and translucent, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature in the syrup.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the lemon peel to a wire rack set over a baking sheet; discard the syrup. Let the peel stand until it is no longer wet and feels only slightly tacky to the touch, about 2 hours.

Spread the remaining sugar (1 cup) in a shallow dish. Toss the peel in the sugar until all the pieces are completely coated. Transfer to a clean wire rack and let dry for 1 hours. The candied peel can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.