Celebrate Mom with the fresh flavors of the season. “This is a beautiful cake I would not hesitate to recommend or to make again. It’s moist, not too fluffy yet not too dense. It has that wonderful richness only butter can contribute and just the right level of fresh citrus flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup whole milk, divided
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
Lemon Cream Icing:
- 2 cups chilled heavy cream
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
1Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 30 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
2Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
3Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.
4Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.
5To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.
