Fruit-Filled Lemony Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I’ve been meaning to try another variation on the Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes for some time now. You see, those cupcakes are unbelievable. But the pink frosting? Well, it kind of clashes with our wedding color combo. So I’ve been pondering how to get the same delicious flavors without all the pastel color.

The end result of that pondering was a dozen seemingly color-less cupcakes, discreetly filled with homemade fruit preserves. I made two fillings, half strawberry, half blackberry, both of which I thought went excellently with the moist lemon cake and frosting. Ultimately we’ll probably go with the strawberry, as the blackberries presented a peculiar problem of too many seeds, another step in the process that we don’t really want to deal with. So strawberry it is, I guess?

Never filled a cupcake before? No problem. Simply cut out a ‘cone-shaped’ piece from the top of each cupcake. Resist the urge to snack on these bite sized bits (I had to stop Taylor from nabbing a few), as you’ll need them again later. Spoon the filling into the gaping holes, and then replace the bits where they belong. They’ll look a little funny and stick up a bit, but that’s what frosting is for, right? Once you’ve got a gorgeous swirl of lemony fluff piped on top, no one will be the wiser as to what’s hidden inside.

Disclaimer: I am not a lemon lover. So these are on the light side of the lemon spectrum. Both the cake and the frosting have an ever so slightly lemon tang, apparent but not so sour that it overwhelms the sweetness. True lemonhead? Add some more juice and zest to both the cake and the frosting (where you might need a bit more sugar to compensate for the extra liquid). Don’t like lemon at all? Omit it completely and call it a perfectly tasty vanilla cupcake.

Yum.

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Fruit-Filled Lemony Cupcakes with Sweet Lemon Buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup oil
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Fruit Preserves:
1 pint fruit (strawberries, blackberries, or other berry)
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 - 1/4 cup lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Lemon Buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon soy creamer or heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Whisk together oil, coconut milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make fruit preserves, add berries to medium heavy saucepan along with sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Lightly mash berries and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until preserves coat the back of a spoon. They will seem a bit runny. Remove from heat, transfer to a heat-safe container, and allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Move to refrigerator and chill for 1 hour or until set.

For frosting, cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth. Add lemon juice and zest and mix until combined. Add creamer and mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

To assemble, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the tops of cooled cupcakes, approximately 3/4" in diameter and set aside. Fill cavities with chilled preserves, and replace tops of cupcakes. Pipe on frosting, being sure to cover the seams.

Beef and Avocado Fajitas

For my birthday a few weeks ago, my parents surprised me with a huge box of meat. Grass-fed, humanely-raised beef. Unusual, yes, and unexpected, but a welcome surprise. I commented that this box contained more beef than we had probably eaten in the past three years combined. So we’ve had to be quite creative in finding ways to use it.

Like these. Fajitas. Which we might normally make with chicken, but this time we were able to indulge with a bit of steak. The box has what are called “Fajita Packs”, what else do you make with that except fajitas? So we altered the recipe slightly, since our steak was already cut into chunks. We just sauteed it with the spices rather than using the rub and sear method the recipe describes.

These are not greasy fajitas. They are fresh, flavorful, and very green. The combination of lime, cilantro, and avocado makes for one delicious fajita.

Now, we just have to figure out what to do with the other 3 fajita packs…

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Beef and Avocado Fajitas

Makes 3-4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed if necessary
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 heart of romaine
2 firm-ripe avocados (8 to 10 oz each)
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas (not low-fat)
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs

Accompaniments: tomatillo salsa; lime wedges

Directions:

Heat a well-seasoned ridged grill pan (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until beginning to smoke, then brush with oil.

While pan heats, pat steak dry and stir together spices and salt, then rub all over both sides of steak.

Grill steak, turning over once, 9 to 11 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut romaine crosswise into thin shreds. Quarter avocados lengthwise, then pit, peel, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

While steak is standing, stack tortillas, wrapped completely in dampened paper towels, on a microwave-safe plate and cook in a microwave oven at high power (100 percent) until tortillas are hot, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Holding knife at a 45-degree angle, thinly slice steak across the grain. Serve with tortillas, avocado, romaine, and cilantro.

Fun with Fondant.

My first practice for the wedding cupcake decor, proper colors and all.

I bought some adorable little flower molds, some pre-packaged fondant and gumpaste, turquoise food color, and some other fun bits and pieces. Finally got it all out today and had a ball. It’s practically like being in kindergarten again, except the play-doh IS actually edible this time.

Tell me, what is the difference between fondant and gumpaste? I tried both, and the flowers and hearts made from each ended up looking exactly the same. The fondant dried quicker, but the gumpaste seemed like it dried harder. Any seasoned pros out there: for decorations like these, which one is better? Or is one better? Any chance marzipan would work for decorations like these, since it’d be the best tasting of the lot, but I’m not sure it would harden right, especially for the hearts.

I really love the way the little ampersand hearts came out. I had a stamp custom made with the ampersand we’ve been using as our monogram, and it was perfect for embossing right onto the fondant. I have a thing for ampersands. It’s a slight problem. But it’s probably why I was so tickled with these. I can’t decide if I want to do a mix of flowers and hearts, or stick with one for consistency.

Of course there’s always the issue of having all the cupcakes “match”. These cupcakes (Mexican Hot Chocolate… yum) are perfect since the white frosting takes the turquoise so well. We’re also doing the almond cupcakes, which have a chocolate frosting, that I thought would look cute with turquoise flowers and hearts. Haven’t decided on the other flavor(s) yet, though I’ve made a few recently that are definitely contenders. Just not sure if I should pick a cupcake for taste, or for looks (for example, the pink frosting from the Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes wouldn’t match too well with the turquoise/black color scheme).

I may just have to leave it up to democracy. Do I smell a poll? What? Maybe…

Fusilli With Peppers, Zucchini, and Feta

I love quick, refreshing meals. Ones that you feel took virtually no time to prepare, yet are still just as satisfying as the 4-hour-long fancy schmancy dinner. It almost feels like cheating.

This dish is just that. A cheaters’ dinner. A summertime tease. It’s got all the fresh and exciting flavors of summer, but something you can eat while the air is still brisk. We’ve had a few 70+ degree days here in Nashville the past couple of weeks. It’s funny how one warm day can change your entire mindset. I’m in summer mode now, and no 30-degree nights with our heat running can change that.

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Fusilli With Peppers, Zucchini, and Feta

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Delish.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb baby bell peppers, seeded and quartered lengthwise (or regular bell peppers, sliced into 1/2" thick slices)
1 large red onion, halved and cut into thin strips
16 oz. long fusilli pasta
2 zucchini, cut into 2-inch sticks, 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a 5-quart Dutch oven; add peppers and onion and stir to combine. Cover pot; cook 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, add zucchini and olives to onion mixture and cook uncovered, 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until vegetables are tender.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta to vegetables and add feta cheese, black pepper, and reserved cooking water; toss. Transfer to a pasta serving bowl.