Triple Lemon Cupcakes: Citrus Delights in January

Instructions

1. For the Cupcakes:
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a light-colored, metal, 12-cup, cupcake pan with cupcake liners of your choice. Spray the paper liners with a light coating of pan release spray for ease of removing the paper after the cupcakes are done baking.
3. In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest and sugar together until fragrant.
4. Into a separate large bowl, add the flour, dehydrated lemon powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk together and set aside.
5. Into the bowl with the sugar and lemon, add the eggs, milk, melted butter (cooled, not hot), lemon juice, lemon extract or emulsion, sour cream, and whisk together. (Be careful with your temperatures: adding cold eggs to cooled melted butter will make it solidify, make sure everything is room temperature and the butter can be slightly warm, not hot)
6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a large whisk mix until just combined. (the large whisk helps to break up any clumps, but do not whip! Mix lightly)
7. Using a 3 tbsp or 1.5 oz scoop, fill the prepared cupcake papers about 3/4 the way up.
8. Place tins in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 375°.
9. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350° (don’t open the oven) and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch.
10. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack in the tin for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them stand until completely cooled.
11. For the optional Lemon Syrup for filling pipettes: While the cupcakes are cooling, make the Lemon Syrup for the pipettes.
12. In a small saucepan, add 1 cup of lemon juice and ½ cup sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.
13. For the American Lemon Buttercream:
14. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, salt, and lemon zest. Cream the butter until soft and spread out (it usually ends up on the sides of the bowl).
15. Scrape the bowl down and with the mixer on low, start to add half of the powdered sugar in ¼ cup increments, mixing well after each addition.
16. Once half of the powdered sugar has been mixed in, and with the mixer on low, add half of the lemon juice, and the lemon extract, and mix on low until blended, then turn up the machine to whip. Buttercream should look almost white.
17. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl down, and with the mixer on low, start to add the rest of the powdered sugar, in ¼ cup increments again, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
18. Turn the mixer down low, and add the rest of the lemon juice, once incorporated, turn the mixer up again and whip the buttercream until light and fluffy.
19. Transfer to a piping bag with a large open star tip (or whatever you choose) and decorate the cooled cupcakes. (I don’t like a ton of frosting, so this recipe allows you to frost a single rosette on 12 – 14 cupcakes, NOT a giant pile of frosting per cupcake. If you like a ton of frosting, double the recipe)
20. After the cupcakes have been frosted, I fill the pipettes as full as possible and push the filled pipette directly into the frosting/cupcake before setting out or serving. They can be stored with the filled pipette stuck in.