Lemon Cupcakes With Lemon Buttercream Frosting

light lemon cupcakes for spring.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 32 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups  very soft butter
• 2  cups sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  teaspoon  lemon extract
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (strained)
• 1 1⁄4 cups buttermilk
• 3  eggs
• 2 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1  cup cake flour
• 2  tablespoons cake flour
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
•  lemon syrup
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1  lemon, juice of (strained)

Directions

1. To make Lemon Syrup.
2. Put sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugar dissolves. Transfer to small glass bowl and let cool. Once cool stir in the fresh lemon juice.
3. Directions for cake:
4. Preheat oven to 350. Arrange paper liners in muffin pans. Sift together flours, baking soda and salt.
5. With an electric mixer, beat together eggs and sugar at a medium-high speed until mixture thickens and color pales, about three minutes. Lower speed and add butter, extracts, lemon juice stirring until just combined. Mix in buttermilk. Slowly, add sifted dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat on low just until smooth.
6. Fill cupcake tins ¾ full. Bake 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and brush tops with lemon syrup. Cool completely before frosting.
7. Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
8. Ingredients:
9. 1 cup butter , softened.
10. 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar.
11. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
12. 1/8 teaspoon salt.
13. juice of one lemon (Strained).
14. Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat till well combined.
15. Add lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat for another 5 minutes or until creamy.