Animus Cupcake

It’s time for a cupcake battle; gateau a gateau. This began a few weeks ago when a friend of mine made a delicious lemon cake. It was so good that I decided to make a cupcake version. On her advisement, I decided to fill the cupcakes with raspberry whipped cream. However, in the interim, between deciding to make them and making them, I stumbled onto another recipe from Bon Appétit for lemon-raspberry cupcakes. Rather trying to choose which cupcake to make, I decided to make them both and have a cupcake battle to determine which was better. I’ve been hearing a lot about meyer-lemons lately, so I decided to use them to make both cakes.

Beth’s Cupcakes

I cut the recipe in half when I made these cupcakes, mostly because I didn’t want too many left over. I’ve posted the full recipe here. A half recipe made 11, so presumably the full recipe makes 22.

Lemon Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup whole milk

1. To make the lemon cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place liners in cupcake pans.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together the dry ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.

3. In an electric stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds, or until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to beat until the mixture is light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in he lemon juice (the batter will appear curdled at this point smooth out after you add the dry ingredients). Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds. Scope the batter into the cupcake pans

This is what something curdled looks like

5. Bake the cakes for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.

Lemon Frosting:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1. To make the lemon frosting, in the large bowl of the electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar on low speed. Add the cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat for about 3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Raspberry Whipped Cream
I didn’t really use a particular recipe for this, just estimated until it tasted right. However, I’ll do my best to approximate it here

1 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup sugar
Several tablespoons ground, fresh raspberries (or, use seedless raspberry jam)

1. In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment whip the heavy cream to stiff pe aks with the sugar

2. Grind the raspberries in a food processor, strain out the seeds

3. Beat the raspberry juice into the whipped cream

4. If your whipped cream curdles (mine did), put the mixture in the fridge or freezer to cool, then whip it back up in the mixer with a little more heavy cream. Assembly 1. Use a small, serrated knife to cut a circle into the tops of the cupcakes. Pull the cone of cake out and reserve

2. Fill the hole up with raspberry whipped cream

3. Cut the bottom off the cone, and place the top back into the cupcake

4. Frost the cupcake, top with a raspberry.

Bon Appétit for lemon-raspberry cupcakes

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, divided
4 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
12 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

1. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, beat until fluffy and pale yellow.

2. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition.

3. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour. After you add the lemon juice, the batter may look curdled, but this will go away once the remaining flour is added.

4. Drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. Spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. Cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.

5. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack.

For Frosting

whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl. Spoon half of icing over 6 cupcakes. Whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. Spoon over remaining cupcakes. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries.