Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
Introduction
They are light, not too sweet, and perfect for any summertime gathering (or letโs be honest, these are amazing all year-round). This does take some time because we need everything to cool to room temperature. Fresh strawberries are best, but if it isnโt strawberry season (May โ August), then I recommend frozen strawberries; we donโt want the flavorless strawberries of the off-season. This should make about 2 dozen cupcakes.
Total Time: 1 โ 1ยฝ hours
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction:
10 ย ย strawberries, destemmed and halved (thawed if using frozen berries)
2ย ย ย Tbsp. sugar
1ย ย ย tsp. lemon juice
Cupcakes:
1โ
ย cupย milk
1โ
ย cup sugar
3ย ย ย cups cake flour
ยฝย ย ย cup strawberry reduction
ยผย ย ย cup sunflower or vegetable oil
1ยฝย ย tsp. vanilla extract
1ย ย ย ย tsp. lemon juice
1ย ย ย tsp. dry lemon peel (or ยฝ tsp. fresh lemon zest)
2ย ย ย tsp. baking powder
1ย ย ย ย tsp. baking soda
1ย ย ย ย tsp. salt
Frosting:
ยฝ ย ย cupย butter, at room temperature
ยฝ ย ย cup vegetable shortening
4ย ย cups powdered sugar
ยผย ย cup strawberry reduction
1ย ย ย tsp. salt
1ย ย tsp. lemon extract
ยผย ย tsp. salt
Instructions
Start by making the strawberry reduction:
โข Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small pot, add the sugar and lemon, and bring to a simmer.
โข Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 15 โ 20 minutes to allow the liquid to thicken a little, stirring regularly. It should be almost like a tomato sauce.
โข When done, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before using.
Next, start to make the cupcakes:
โข Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and prep the cupcake pan with liners.
โข In a large bowl, add the milk, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, vegetable/sunflower oil, sugar, salt, and strawberry reduction. Stir well.
โข Take 1 cup of the flour at a time and sift directly into the bowl. Slowly fold the flour into the wet ingredients so there are no lumps. Try to avoid using a whisk and overworking the batter, as a whisk will beat out the fluffiness of the sifted flour.
โข With the 3rd and last cup of flour, add in the baking soda and baking powder to the sifter. Sift into the batter and then again gently fold and try to avoid lumps.
โข Using a ladle, scoop some batter and place into a cupcake liner in the cupcake pan. Fill each liner about ยพ of the way to the top.
โข When all the batter has been used, place the cupcake pans into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
โข When done, keep the cupcakes in the pan and allow to cool to room temperature.
While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, make the frosting:
โข Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the shortening and butter. (you can do this by hand if you want, but itโs going to be A LOT of whisking)
โข Add the powdered sugar one cup a time, allowing the sugar to mix in well. You will probably need to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically.
โข After all the powdered sugar has been incorporated, at the remaining frosting ingredients. Whisk everything together for several minutes on medium speed. This will infuse some air into the frosting, making it lighter and fluffier.
โข Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe or spread some frosting on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with a sliced strawberry.
โข If not serving immediately, place into an air-tight container and refrigerate.
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