Lemon-Honey Cupcakes

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Ingredients

  • Cupcakes
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • Lemon-Honey Frosting
  • 1 cup 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

Preparation

Step 1

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 zip top freezer
bag, snip off one corner and pipe onto
cupcakes, or just spread frosting
onto cupcakes.


To make 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.

To make flowers:

Using paste food color, tint fondant to desired colors. On a surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, roll out to 1/8 in. thickness. Using cookie/candy cutters in small assorted flower shapes, cut out. (If desired, use corn syrup to attach smaller flower
to center of larger flower.) Lightly
brush tops with a very thin layer of
corn syrup, then invert flowers into
decorating sugars to adhere.
Let dry 15 minutes.