A friend of mine once told me that when your chickens ate the shells from shrimp, the egg yolks turned from a deep orange to a shade with a little more red. When you used the eggs, it turned yellow cakes and light batters pink.
My girls needed to try this experiment and I was game, hoping that we didn't end up with pink, shrimp tasting cupcakes. Turns out, they do turn pink, although not quite pink enough for my girls so we had to add a little food coloring. And thankfully, no shrimp taste at all. Just yummy lemon.
Fairy Pink Lemon Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
red food coloring
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Frosting
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
milk if needed
red food coloring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3, six cup muffins tins with cupcake liners. With a mixer or wooden spoon beat butter and sugar together and add eggs one at a time. Add lemon extract and zest. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix until incorporated. Sift all dry ingredients into the bowl and mix adding buttermilk 1/2 cup at a time.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center. Remove from tin and cool on baking rack. When cool, frost and eat with cute children and chamomile tea.
Makes 18 cupcakes
© 2009 Anne Mahle
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