so i made cupcakes

I usually end up making cupcakes at the most inopportune time.  Right now, I'm supposed to be cramming for my CPA exam on Wednesday.  Instead I made lemon buttermilk cupcakes.  :shrug:  I know what I want my true calling in life to be.  =)

Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes

frosted cupcakes

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS
2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1/2 pound or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
the zest of 1 lemon (but to be honest, I could have used more since I wanted a more lemony punch)
20-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Combine and sift the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a pretty hefty handmixer on medium speed until the mixture is light, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate one egg before adding another.

Bring your mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture.  When you no longer see any dry patches, add half of your buttermilk to the mixture.  Mix, add another third of dry mixture, mix, add the rest of the buttermilk, and finally end with your flour mixture.  You get it.  Cupcake recipes always call for dry, wet, dry, wet, dry.  

Fill your muffin liners about 3/4 of the way.  I ALWAYS mess this part up.  ALWAYS.  Less is more people!!!!!!  There is no need to fill these babies to the brim.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes depending on your oven, altitude, etc.  I pretty much eyeballed it at 18ish minutes when the tops were getting golden.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1 8oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 C butter (room temperature) -- this is a half a stick of butter
4 C powdered sugar (I recommend that you sift it.)
1 teaspoon lemon extract -- and I added a good squeeze of lemon juice from my zested lemon

Mix the cream cheese and butter.  Add the powdered sugar little at a time and lemon extract/juice.  Voila!  Frost to your heart's content.  I used a Wilton 5m because I think it looks the prettiest.

frosted yumminess