Lovely Lemon Cupcakes

There are two flavors I cannot get enough of: peppermint and lemon.

 I made peppermint cupcakes for the last work party, so I went with lemon this time.

This recipe is my own version of a recipe by the Pioneer Woman. After reading several reviews, I came up with the perfect recipe for me, which you will see below.

These cupcakes are divine! So soft, so fluffy, so creamy, and so lemony! If you love lemon, you will love these!

Ingredients
Batter:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (let stand until room temperature)
3 eggs (let stand until room temperature)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Butter baking spray

Frosting:
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (let stand until room temp)
1 stick cream cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Directions 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the batter:
1. Cream butter and eggs. Once creamed, add in eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
3. Mix the flour into the wet mixture and blend. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
4. Place paper cups into a pan and fill each cup one-half to three-quarters full with batter. Spray the filled pan with Butter baking spray. Let the mixture stand for about another 15 minutes.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

For the frosting:
1. Cream the powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest together until light and fluffy. 2. Pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes

Makes 17 cupcakes (for me anyway!)

***Frosting hint: I made the frosting the night before so it would be cold and easy to spread when I finished the cupcakes.