I’m back! The last few weeks have been hectic to say the least and have unfortunately kept me away from my favorite hobby: baking! Between preparing to change jobs in June, bachelorette weekend festivities for my bestie, and SIFF starting (the Seattle International Film Festival, remember my Reese’s Pieces PB Cookies recipe?), I haven’t had much time to whip up treats. The good news is with my job change in June, my work travel will be cut to a minimum and I’ll have LOTS of time to create new recipes and share them all with you.

Seattle has *FINALLY* broken free of the grey winter doldrums and I think I speak for every Seattleite out there when I say ‘it’s about time!’. After a few blissful days above 70 degrees, I decided to mark my return to baking with a light, summery, tasty little treat of lemon cupcakes.

These cupcakes are fluffy and perfect for warm weather; while not overwhelmingly lemon-y, they leave a pleasant lingering flavor of this iconic summer fruit. My recommendation is to top with a buttercream icing – I’ve provided a link to my go-to recipe from Wilton, but you can also pick your favorite store-bought to top these cupcakes with.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• Lemon zest (~ ½ tsp)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine white sugar, butter, eggs, lemon extract and lemon zest together until smooth and creamy.
4. In a small bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda.
5. Add flour mixture into the large bowl slowly, alternating with the milk, until all dry and wet ingredients are mixed together and smooth.
6. Spoon batter (~ 2 tbsp) into the prepared cupcake liners.
7. Bake in the preheated oven 16 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean(no more than 20 min).
8. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.

Want to make your own buttercream icing? Try Wilton’s Buttercream Frosting Recipe and add ¼ tsp of lemon extract for an added lemon kick!