A Sweet Wednesday Morning

I have not made cupcakes for awhile and I thought it sounded like fun to do this morning. I bought a new cupcake book called 500 Cupcakes. The two I tried today are the Mint Chocolate ones and the Lemon Meringue ones (actually called Key Lime but I switched and used lemon juice and made them lemon meringue). They both were actually quite yummy! Enjoy drooling.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes (A variation of Key Lime Cupcakes)

for the cupcakes
1 c. (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 c. self rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

for the filling
1/3 c. lemon juice
14. oz can sweetened condensed milk

for the meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 c. granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Place all the cupcake ingredients in a large bowl and beat for about 2-3 minutes. Spoon batter into cups and bake 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and remove cupcakes to cool further on a rack.

For the filling, combine the lemon juice and condensed milk in a small bowl. Remove cupcake top and hollow out a small hole. Fill small hole with filling. Replace top.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the sugar in thirds beating one minute between each addition. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Spoon or pipe meringue on top of the cupcakes. Bake 5 minutes or until golden. Store for no more than one day in an airtight container.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

for the cupcakes
1 1/2 c. self rising flour
4 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) sweet butter (softened)
4 eggs
1 tsp mint extract
1/2 c. semisweet mini chocolate chips

for the frosting
1/3 c. (2/3 stick) sweet butter, softened
2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp. mint extract
green food coloring
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place 18 paper baking cups into muffin pans. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until well combined. Stir in the mint extract and chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into the cups. Bake 20 minutes.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and confectioners sugar in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir in the mint extract and just enough food coloring to turn the frosting mint green. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with chocolate chips. Store unfrosted in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months.