OhMyGod

Lemon Drop Rainbow Cupcakes



3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 3 medium lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup crushed lemon drops

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line standard cupcake tins with liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together; set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, cream the butter and sugar
(using the paddle attachment) until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one.
Scrape down the sides of bowl if needed. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
Combine the buttermilk and lemon juice in small bowl or measuring cup.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating
with two additions of the buttermilk/lemon juice mixture.
Beat until just barely combined after each addition



Gently fold in the crushed lemon drops.
To avoid the batter getting too stiff, try not to overmix when adding the lemon drops.
It will be mixed even more when you add the colors



Divide the batter into 1 cup increments and put into 5 separate small bowls (if doing 5 colors).
Gradually add food coloring to each bowl, until you get to your desired colors.
Stir gently to make sure there aren’t any remaining streaks of color.

To measure the coloring I dipped a toothpick about 3/4″ into each jar of color
(with the exception of the green, see below),
swirled it through the batter and mixed throughly.

Here are the colors and amount of coloring
I used from the bottom of the cupcake to the top:

• Orange – Wilton Creamy Peach – 1 toothpick plus a tiny bit more.
• Yellow – Wilton Buttercup Yellow – 1 toothpick
• Green – AmeriColor Avacado – 5 drops
• Blue – Wilton Cornflower Blue – 2-3 toothpicks
• Violet – Wilton Violet – 1 toothpick



Put 1 teaspoon (slightly heaped) batter of your first color in each of the cupcake cups.
I gently smoothed out only the first color, just to get an even bottom.
Repeat with the other colors



Bake at 325°F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Decorate!



Marshmallow Frosting

8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.
Set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Whisk the mixture constantly until the egg whites are warm to the touch
and the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the bowl to electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment.
Starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high,
beat until the mixture is stiff and glossy peaks form (5 to 7 minutes).
Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Use immediately, as the marshmallow frosting will continue to stiffen.

Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes