Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

It seems that the cupcake craze hasn't gone anywhere and may not phase out like I thought it would, so I'm grasping an opportunity here to share a favorite cupcake. The first time I made these they were devoured in no time and it's been that way each time I make them.

I make them at home for the kids, I've made them at work for my consumers and co-workers and everyone loves them and wants to know how I make them. Prepare to be amazed. Well, or just enlightened. These are made the exact same way as my Lime Cupcakes ... with a boxed mix altered slightly and colored with food dye.

For the record, nobody is sure where pink lemonade originated, but it's nothing secretive, it's simply lemonade that's been dyed with food coloring or red fruit. These cupcakes and icing are dyed with red food coloring - the usual liquid drops. Depending on the type of dye you use, the color can vary widely, so experiment until you get the perfect shade of pink.

For the cupcakes pictured, I double icing recipe. If you're going to simply spread icing on top as usual, go with the amounts listed.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Makes 18 to 24
Printable Recipe

1 boxed white cake mix (most are 18.52 ounces)
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup oil 
1 1/4 cups water
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon 
red food dye

Icing:

3/4 cup butter - softened (1 1/2 sticks)
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
red food dye
powdered sugar (3 -4 cups depending on how much juice your lime holds)

Mix up the cake mix with the eggs, oil, water, zest and juice. Add dye a few drops at a time and mix well until the correct color is reached. Pour into muffin tins, lightly greased or set with cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and springy when touched in the center. Let cool.

Beat the butter until fluffy and add zest.. Pour in juice and powdered sugar a cup at a time, and keep beating until icing forms and is of a nicely spreadable consistency. Add dye and blend until color is right. Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

I bet you're wondering why I used a white cake mix and then adulterated the thing with whole eggs? Well, boxed yellow cake mix tastes different than white mix, which I like better, but I wanted a bit of color to these so I added the egg yolks as well. There you go - whip some up and enjoy!

Lemon Dishes

I love lemons. I think they're beautiful to look at and the uses for both the juice and rind are endless. They're easily used in both savory and sweet dishes, and I don't know of many people who don't appreciate them.

We recently had a meal that was lemon-based and absolutely delicious. We started with a salad made of simple endive drizzled with a dressing of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and lemon before moving on to a lemon and garlic-roasted chicken and lemon orzo. We ended with my favorite cupcakes, making a fully fabulous sunshiny-lemon meal.

Lemon Curd-Filled Lemon Cupcakes

Recipe for Cupcakes here: http://family.go.com/food/recipe-576799-fairy-cakes-t/

Recipe for Lemon Curd here: http://cookingwithanne.blogspot.com/2005/09/tea-anyone.html

Pomegranate and Lemon Dressing
Makes 1 cup
Printable Recipe

8 ounces POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon honey
salt to taste

Reduce pomegranate juice to 3/4 cup by simmering gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and chill well before serving.

Lemon and Garlic-Roasted Chicken
Serves 4-6
Printable Recipe

One 5-6 pound roasting chicken
1 whole lemon
6 whole cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Loosen breast skin on chicken by slowly working the handle of a wooden spoon under skin on both sides. Slice lemon thinly and slide slices under breast skin. Toss any extra lemon and the garlic cloves into the cavity of the bird. Brush bird with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast, uncovered, until desired doneness is reached. Usually 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours is sufficient.

Lemon Orzo
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

1 cup dry orzo, cooked until al dente (about 2 cups cooked)
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all and heat through.

Lime Cupcakes

A couple friends of mine had a KitchenAid mixer that was given to them by their aunt. Neither of these girls wanted it (can you imagine?!) so they asked if I would like to take it off their hands. Would I? I don't think I will ever be able to afford a KitchenAid mixer in this lifetime, so I accepted and tried not to squeal like a schoolgirl.

Once I had my hands on it, I needed to use it. It's like a clean sheet of paper and a new pen, you MUST create - it's simply not possible to leave it alone. So, I created. Nothing fancy or fabulous, but I can tell you this; icing was never so easy to make. These cupcakes are so easy that I feel a bit guilty posting a recipe for them.

Here is the 'recipe' (and I use that term very loosely here) for these fabulously delicious (because, they really were) cupcakes.

Lime Cupcakes
Makes 18 to 24
Printable Recipe

1 box (oh, yes I said BOX - close your eyes and get on with it) white cake mix
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cups water
zest of one lime
juice of one lime (2-3 Tablespoons)

Icing:

3/4 cup butter - softened (1 1/2 sticks)
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
powdered sugar (3 -4 cups depending on how much juice your lime holds)

Mix up the BOXED cake mix with the eggs, oil, water and first lime - zested and squeezed. Pour into muffin tins, lightly greased or set with cupcake wrappers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and springy when touched in the center. Let cool.

Beat the butter until fluffy and add zest and juice from the second lime. Pour in powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and keep beating until icing forms and is of a nicely spreadable consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes.

I bet you're wondering why I used a white cake mix and then adulterated the thing with whole eggs? Well, BOXED yellow cake mix tastes different than white mix, which I like better, but I wanted a bit of color to these so I added the egg yolks as well. There you go - whip some up and enjoy!

The 1950's: Did we really go there?

Someone wrote to me to request a recipe from one of my cookbooks, so I dutifully pulled the book from its shelf and looked for the recipe. I got so amused while looking through the book that I had to share some of it.

This is the recipe I sent. I only just emailed it so I don't know if it's what she is looking for or not. This is from the "How To Get The Most Out Of Your Sunbeam Automatic Mixmaster" cookbooklet from 1950. The cover of my copy is a bit battered, but the inside is still great.
By the way, don't make this recipe now unless it's cooler where you live or you have A/C! Otherwise, I would be going against my own good advice.



Thrifty Cup Cakes
("Short-Cut" Method)

Preparation: Have shortening at room temperature. Assemble all ingredients and utensils needed. Grease 3-inch cup cake pans. Sift flour once before measuring. Preheat oven to baking temperature.
Sift into large bowl of MIXMASTER:
1¼ cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1¾ teaspoons double-acting or (2¼ teaspoons fast-acting) baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Add:
1/3 cup shortening (soft)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat it on No. 3 speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl while beating. Stop mixer. Scrape beaters.
Add:
1 egg, unbeaten
Beat 1 minute longer, scraping sides of bowl while beating. Fill cup cake pans 2/3 full.
Bake: (375° F)-moderately hot oven-about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out of pans. Cool. Ice with Fudge Icing on Page 18. Put a half nut meat on top of each or sprinkle with cocoanut.
Makes: 1 dozen large cup cakes.

Easy Fudge Icing

Combine in top of double boiler:
3 squares (3 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup butter or margarine
Melt over hot water.

Put into small bowl of MIXMASTER:
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup hot milk or cream
Beat on No. 2 speed until blended. Then beat in chocolate mixture on No. 10 speed. Beat until thick enough to spread. More confectioner's sugar or cream may be added to give desired consistency.
Makes: Enough icing for two 8-inch layers.

These are what I was getting so amused by. I look at these images and mostly think that they're neat. I sometimes wish we could go back to simpler times but these ads are just so funny. Note that almost all of them say something about being "automatic". These are the same appliances that nowadays would cycle endlessly and drain power from elsewhere. I've owned some older appliances in my time and they are also really hefty. I have to say though, on the whole they were made far better than much of the "junk" we buy today.

Have fun looking, and click on the pictures to open them up fully so you can read them!