Star-Spangled Cupcakes
| Christy Rost
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon vanilla
8 teaspoons seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans with 16 paper liners. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, into the creamed mixture to create a thick batter. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat well.
Spoon batter to a depth of 1/2-inch into each cupcake liner and top with ½ teaspoon raspberry jam. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam to fill the liners 2/3-full, gently spreading the batter to completely cover the jam. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the cupcakes from the pans to a wire rack while they’re still hot so they don’t become soggy. Cool completely, frost with a swirl of Fluffy Whipped Cream Buttercream, and garnish with red, white, and blue sprinkles. Yield: 16 cupcakes
Fluffy Whipped Cream Buttercream
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
Dash of salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and salt. Add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, alternately with the cream, until the frosting is thick and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat well. Yield: Frosting for 16 cupcakes