Pink Lemon Heart Cupcakes

Pink Lemon Heart Cupcakes

Ingredients:

cupcake ingredients
3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups cake flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting

Pink Lemon frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons milk
pink gel dye

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prep a cupcake pan with liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, until combined.

In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Alternate the dry ingredients with the milk and add to the butter mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Fill the cupcake liners almost TO THE TOP. This will ensure fluffy cupcakes, making it easier to cut off the tops. (You should fill about 20 cups.)

Bake for 15-18 minutes depending on your oven, test with a toothpick, and let cool on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling – make the frosting by creaming the butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer. Add the lemon juice and the zest until combined. Slowly add the mil, turning the speed up until it becomes light and fluffy. Finally add the pink gel dye and and stir until the color is combined.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, take a serrated knife and gently slice off the fluffy tops right at the paper. Using a small heart or any tiny shaped cookie cutter, cut out the center of the tops. Dust them with powdered sugar and set aside.

Frost the top of the now flat cupcake with the pink frosting, then place the cut out cupcake top on top of the frosting to serve.