Spiked Raspberry-Lemonade Cupcakes

Recipe from: www.midwestliving.com
Makes: 18 servings
Bake: 15 to 18 minutes
Cool: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Butter
3 Eggs
1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons finely shredded Lemon Peel
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Raspberry Liqueur or Milk (I used Chambord)
2/3 cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk*
Red food coloring
1 recipe Creamy Raspberry Frosting
Thin Lemon Wedges for garnish (optional)
Fresh Raspberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
As always, I start out lining up all the ingredients so they’re ready to go.

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. I actually let the butter sit out overnight to ensure it was completely soft and would mix well with a hand mixer.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add sugar, lemon peel (I love my microplane), lemon juice, and raspberry liqueur; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes. The texture of the batter is very silky. Not typical of a cake mix. Tint batter pink with a few drops of food coloring.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is heating, line eighteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. I also spray the cups with cooking spray to ensure they don’t stick. I’m glad I did with this recipe. The cupcakes released from the liners but I could tell if I didn’t spray them, they may have stuck.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. My tip for this particular recipe is to only fill the cups half way. I filled the first batch to three-quarters and they rose over the tops and onto the muffin tin. The cupcakes burned a bit around the edges on the muffin tin. I had to use kitchen scissors to trim off the excess cupcake and burned edges. I filled the cupcake liners half full for the second batch and they rose perfectly to the top of the tin. Trust me, you don’t want them to rise over the tin. Half way is best. And, you’ll get a few extra cupcakes to enjoy… and in the oven they went.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. I use a knife, it’s easier to tell. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

Tip: *To make 2/3 cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid; stir. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Creamy Raspberry Frosting

3/4 cup Butter
7 – 7 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoons Milk
3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur or milk
5 drops Red Food Coloring

Allow butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in milk, liqueur, and food coloring. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar until frosting reaches spreading or piping consistency. I tend to err on the side of food safety and did not use milk. I couldn’t handle the idea of something with milk sitting on the counter because these don’t need to be refrigerated. Instead, I simply used water.

Here’s another GREAT tip!!! I was able to achieve beautiful raspberry colored frosting without using red food coloring. And, it was real raspberry flavoring. I did use the three tablespoons of Chambord but I also used another tip I saw online. I bought dried raspberries and ground them up to a powder in a blender. Not only was that my frosting color, it gave the frosting the most unbelievable raspberry flavor.

Once the cupcakes were cooled and the frosting was the desired texture I was hoping for, it was time to frost them. Unfortunately, I have not mastered the frosting game. Trying to use a frosting bag and tip became a problem. Instead, I used a spoon and spread the frosting on. Although they aren’t beautiful, the tasted amazing. Just like raspberry lemonade. My coworkers agreed as I brought in the second batch. They were all gone in less than five minutes.

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