Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcake with Cranberry Filling
Topped with Lemon Buttercream & Cranberries

Recently I had a few friends over for dinner, euchre and drinks.  I wanted to make cupcakes for desert but just couldn’t decide on a flavor. I turned to my good friend Amanda for some suggestions. Initially, she thought that carrot would be a fantastic addition to our fun filled night, but I wasn’t in the mood for something savory. 

After much debate we finally decided upon Lemon Cranberry.  So I got to work searching for some lemon cranberry ideas and came up with a plan of attack. I came across this “Sparkling Cranberry” link from 101 Cookbooks and knew that I wanted to incorporate them into these cupcakes.

(Continue Reading after the jump)

Lemon Cupcake Batter 

The Cupcake:

1. Begin making your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe           
2. Substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract within the recipe
3. Add 1 tbsp of lemon zest to the batter and fold in
4. Bake following your recipe’s baking instructions

Baked Cupcakes

The Filling:

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries (rinsed)

½ cup of sugar

2 cups of water

1 tsp of binding agent (choose 1: xanthium gum, arrowroot powder, cornstarch)

Cranberry Mixture Boiling

Instructions:

1. Bring cranberries, sugar and water to boil in a pot, stirring frequently. 
2. Let simmer for 5-8 minutes until cranberries are soft and water reduces. 
3. In separate bowl mix binding agent with 2 tbsp water until combined. Add to pot. 
4. Stir constantly for a minute until substantially thickens. 
5. Remove from heat and place in bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Cranberry Filling

The Icing:

1. Begin making your favorite Buttercream recipe
2. Add 1to 2 tbsp of lemon zest and 1 tsp of lemon extract to icing
3. Mix until well combined

The Sparkling Cranberries:

1. See link to 101 cookbooks
2. Make the day before to allow time for soaking

Center-less Cupcakes

The Final Product:

1. Remove the centers from cupcakes using a pairing knife or apple corer.
2. Fill centers will cranberry filling
3. Cover centers with icing to seal in the filling (this will prevent your icing from looking pink
4. Frost cupcakes with remaining Buttercream Icing

Lemon Cupcakes with Cranberry Filling 

Despite losing both rounds of euchre, the evening ended up being so much fun. I always seem to have the best time hanging out with close friends, eating delicious food, listening to great music, and playing games. The cranberry lemon cupcakes were the perfect finishing touch to a fun filled evening with some amazing people. They have definately become the new fan favorite amongst my friends.  

The Final Product

Do you ever try new and different flavor combinations or take suggestions from friends?