As the resident foodie and party planner extraordinaire for all my friends, when Birthday time comes around I’m everyone’s first call! For a friend I’ve known my whole life I pull at all the stops, and that friend would be Billy! It just happens that Billy’s Birthday fell on Superbowl Sunday this year, bonus! So a duel celebration was in order, biggest football day of the year and celebrating the birth of one of the greatest guys I know!
So the first question I ask my friends as their birthday approaches is “what kind of cake”? This year Billy responds with the dreaded “surprise me!” Oh no, this means not only do I have to come up with an amazing cake, I also have to figure out what kind of cake that is! So in true little leopard fashion, I made three cakes, just to be sure!!! Some were made into cupcakes, like these delightful little desserts! (Easier for sharing at a party!)
Ingredients (makes 48 mini cupcakes or 24 large cupcakes)
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- lemon zest from 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup half-and-half
Start by pre-heating the oven to 350° and lining a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Next, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time. Next, add the zest and vanilla.
Then add the lemon juice and half-and-half.
Combine together with electric hand mixer.
Mmmm creamy! Now spoon into the lined cupcake pan.
I used the mini-cupcake pan because they’re so darn cute and easy to gobble up in one bite!
Bake for app 15 minutes.
Now it’s time to make the Lemon Cream Frosting! I simply took my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe and added lemon juice!
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Juice of 1 lemon
Use an electric hand mixer to combine ingredients. Next spread on top of the lemon zest cupcakes!
Now of course I have no pictures of the cupcakes WITH the frosting on top! I got busy making all of the other delicious Superbowl Party food and asked my girls to frost the cupcakes for me, by the time I realized there were no pictures, they were all gone!
I promise they were as pretty as they were yummy!
