Pink Lemonade Cupcakes <3

For cupcakes: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream, room temperature 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream: 1 ½ sticks or 12 ounces butter, at room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese (I use the low fat, not no-fat) at room temperature 6 tablespoons pink lemonade concentrate, from frozen concentrate 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 cups powdered sugar milk or half and half, as needed

For Cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin/cupcake tins with paper or foil liners. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, buttermilk (or sour cream), eggs, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into

inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting. For buttercream: Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and add the pink lemonade concentrate, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat on lowest speed until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 3-4 more minutes, scraping the bowl

needed. If the icing is too thick add a bit of milk or half and half, if too thin add a bit more powdered sugar (see note below). Enough icing for 24 cupcakes (or more - see note below) Notes: ~ It's sometimes difficult to get just the right consistency for piping buttercream. I usually put a little portion into my decorating bag and try it on one cupcake. If you pipe the cupcake and the icing seems to "wilt" or have trouble keeping it's shape, add a bit more powdered sugar. It the icing is difficult to pipe and you have to use force as you pipe, you need to add a bit of milk or half and half

Icing should flow fairly effortlessly from piping bag. ~ This recipe makes a generous portion of icing, enough for a double batch of these cupcakes. I usually do make a double batch because they freeze well and when I need a dessert in a hurry, I can just pull them out and thaw. Even with a double batch, you may have a bit of icing left over. Unused buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using. ~ For these swirled cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M tip.