Lemon Cream Mini Cupcakes with Creamy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

These are delicious, and just a bit bigger than bite-size. I usually only make them when I have some leftover Barefoot Contessa Cream Cheese frosting, my favorite cream cheese icing.

Lemon Cream Mini-Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 24 mini cupcakes (the NorPro, straight sided cheese cake pan size) or about 36 (very) mini cupcakes.

Ingredients:

4 ounces (1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons) sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

3 oz. (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon good quality lemon extract

4 teaspoons lightly packed, finely grated lemon zest

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream (not low-fat), at room temperature

This will make 36 very small mini-cupcakes, I always use the NorPro mini-cheesecake/muffin pan with the removable bottoms. (Scroll down on the right hand column to see), it yields fewer than 36-- usually I can get 24 mini-cupcakes out of a two-layer cake recipe (or 12 regular size cupcake recipe such as this one.)

For frosting I use my ever ready supply of (left-over) Barefoot Contessa's Cream Cheese Frosting, with a little lemon juice beaten in. (Whenever I make the Barefoot Contessa's Cream Cheese frosting, there is always a lot left over, so I refrigerate or freeze until ready to use it again.)

Method:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Line three miniature muffin pans with miniature paper cupcake liners. ( I use the NorPro mini-muffin/cheesecake pan with removable bottoms) and line the cups with paper liners.

Sift the cake flour , salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to ensure thorough mixing. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 3 Tablespoons of the sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon zest; beat on medium speed for 1 min.

Add the remaining sugar, about 2 Tablespoons at a time, beating for a few seconds after each addition. Scrape the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes.

Scrape the bowl again. Add the egg and beat on medium-high until very smooth, about 1 minute
Add approximately one-third of the flour mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula only until incorporated. Add half the sour cream and stir until incorporated. Repeat with half the remaining flour mixture, the rest of the sour cream, and ending with the last of the flour mixture.

Divide the batter evenly among the paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup about one-half to three-quarters full. (Use two regular teaspoons: one to pick up the batter, one to push it off.) Don't smooth the batter.

Place in the oven bake until the cupcakes are pale golden and spring back when gently pressed in the center, watch carefully after about 12 minutes because ovens can vary. Mine are usually done in about 20 minutes (the NorPro pan holds a little more batter in each cup.)

Allow the cupcakes cool in the tin on wire racks for 5 minutes and then invert the pans onto the racks to remove the cupcakes.

Immediately turn the cupcakes right side up on the racks and let cool completely.

Frost or decorate as desired.

Here's an adaptation of the Barefoot Contessa's Cream Cheese Frosting, this will much more frosting than you will need for this recipe.

As I mentioned earlier, I usually make these mini-cupcakes and frost them with the leftover icing from Ina's Coconut Cupcakes. Her recipe for frosting is VERY generous!

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Cream Cheese Frosting:

One more fair warning!

I cannot stress this enough... (sorry to be redundant!) this will make way, way more than you will need for these mini-cupcakes, I frost mine with the LEFTOVER frosting after making Ina's Coconut Cupcakes.

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Ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (omit and add the same amount pure lemon extract to make it slightly lemony flavored)

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. You can swirl it on with a small spatula (off set works great), or pipe the frosting on, which seems much faster to me.