Super Moist Strawberry-Lemon Cupcakes

Super Moist

Strawberry-Lemon Cupcakes

   Winter has left the area, which by the way, never really showed up in The Woodlands, TX. We had a very mild winter and folks around here were active outdoors the entire season without having to wear any heavy clothing. That is a big plus (we love our trails), although I did miss the winter “bite” that has one digging through drawers for gloves and knitted sweaters. Alas, Spring came, which was amazing and reminded everyone that spring and winter can become synonymous with each other in southern Texas. And now summer’s heat is here and the temperatures are rising and will continue to rise to 100 degrees with 100% humidity. I have no idea how anyone survived this kind of weather before AIRCONDITIONG was invented!

Anyhoo, a guy at work wants a lemon-strawberry cake/cupcakes for his birthday. He is claiming that June 1 is a national holiday, calling it, _____________(his name) National Holiday. Okie dokie, I’ll go with that. Yea, I’ll do just about anything to smell lemon zest in the kitchen. Fresh, vibrant, and tart smelling. The kind of smell that only comes from something natural. There must have been a Greek god of lemons once. Don’t you think?

I have taken recipes and tweaked them a bit to make sure they were super moist and super tasty. Super di-duper…. So, with this cupcake I followed varying recipes I have found in books and blogs. The key to many cupcake recipes is to cook the butter with the liquids. Seriously. Don't cook the sour cream, though. Add it and the eggs after the mixture has cooled down a bit. Also, don't worry about beating it to death. I used a whisk and ended up with plenty of air bubbles. Notice the omission of baking powder. The lemon, sour cream, and addition of baking soda create that bubbly rise you need for this recipe. Chemistry: simply amazing.

 Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup (4 oz)  (118 ml.) fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon zest

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

For the frosting, I was a bit skeptical of the recipes out there so I just put together butter, sugar (powdered), cooked down mashed strawberries, shortening, and vanilla. Simple and yummy.

They aren’t the usual swirly decorated cupcakes I love to make because this strawberry frosting demands a certain level of softness that marries well with the lemon cupcake.

My co-workers truly said it was the best cupcake they ever had and said I should sell them. Ha! Let’s make it National LaDawn Cupcake Day!!! Move aside birthday boy.