Bee Mine Cupcakes - Recipe #8

This recipe for Lemon-Honey cupcakes came to me from Women's Day magazine. While I was getting my hair done last week the cover caught my eye with the cute little bee's so I decided to give the recipe a try but added a few pink fondant hearts for a Valentine's Day twist.

The cake didn't carry as much honey packed flavor that I thought it would, considering it has 3/4 of a cup. The frosting recipe calls for 7 to 8 Tablespoons of lemon, I only added 4 and it was almost too overbearing. Overall, they weren't my favorite but they were something different.

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 TB grated lemon zest
4 TB lemon juice
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs

Lemon-Honey Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
7 to 8 tsp lemon juice
Few drops yellow food color

Bumblebee
Tootsie Roll
Two pieces of string
Yellow peanut M&M
Brown food marker
Clear spice drop candies
Small cookie cutter

PREPARATION

1. Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sour cream, milk, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl until well mixed.

3. Beat butter, honey and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended.

4. With mixer on low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, then the sour cream mixture. Beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.

5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

6. Frosting: Beat butter, honey and lemon zest in large bowl with an electric mixer until creamed, about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in confectioners’ sugar until blended. Beat in lemon juice and a few drops food color until mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.

7. Spoon into a large ziptop freezer bag, snip off one corner and pipe onto cupcakes, or just spread frosting onto cupcakes.

To make the bumblebee: Tear off a piece of a Tootsie Roll and roll between the palms of your hands to make a thin string. Wrap two pieces of string around a yellow Peanut M&M for body of bee. Using a brown food marker, draw two dots for eyes. To make wings, roll out clear spice drop candies and cut out a 1⁄2-in. circle using a small cookie cutter. Cut circle in half; attach each half by pressing into the front band of Tootsie Roll on the body of the bee.