Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
Strawberry Buttercream:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup strained strawberry jam or preserves
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 Tbsp. milk
Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, then spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated, craping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture slowly until it is all added, then beat just until combined, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the lemon zest.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 paper liners and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately brush the warm cupcakes with the remaining one tablespoon of lemon juice, then set aside to cool and dry completely, about 30 minutes.
Make the strawberry buttercream: If you have not already strained your jam, do so now. To do this, take a strainer (I used a mini strainer) over a bowl and place about ½ cup of jam in it. Use a spoon to push (rather aggressively) the jam through the strainer until you eventually have 1/3 cup of strained jam in your bowl. This takes 5 to 10 minutes but is necessary.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter, vanilla extract, and the strained strawberry jam until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time and beat until incorporated. After the second cup, add the milk, then add the last cup of confectioners sugar and beat on high for about 1 minute, or until fluffy but not whipped.
Place the buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a large piping tip and pipe the buttercream onto all the cooled cupcakes.