Zesty Citrus Cupcakes Prove That Good Things Come In Small Packages (NAPSA)—They’re cute, they’re sweet and they’re easy to make at home. Try your hand at baking festive cupcakes created by Emily Luchetti, pastry chef and dessert cookbook author. Cupcakes are not only one of the hottest food trends of the year, but they’re perfect for any celebration. These cupcakes use rich and creamy but- Cupcakes: 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour insides of 12 muffin cups or insert paper liners. 2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and citrus zests until smooth. 3. In a separate bow], sift together flour, baking powder andsalt. ter made with fresh, delicious California milk. To know if your dairy products are made with milk from California dairies, look for the Real Cali- These slightly tart cupcakes provide somefun in the sun any day of the week. Delightfully light with a sweettart flavor, these Citrus Cupcakes will perk up your taste buds. Zest from a lemon, a lime and an orange providesall the citrus needed, while rich, natural butter gives a moist texture. Lemon curd frosting tops these pretty pastel treats for a lemony sweet you won’t want to share. You can decorate these individual cakes any way you like. Try adding piping along the edges or colorful sprinkles to personalize each cupcake. A shower of flaky coconut shavings adds a tropical twist. A tip Luchetti offers bakers is to never skimp on ingredients. “For truly delicious cupcakes, you need to start with high-quality ingredients, and the best cupcakes duces more butter, ice cream, yogurt and nonfat dry milk than any otherstate. of butter gives cupcakes the ideal flavor and texture.” Moretips for baking with butter and other cupcake recipes from Emily Luchetti are available online at www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com. California is the nation’s leading milk producer and also pro- For Frosting: 3 large egg yolks 3 large eggs % cup granulated sugar % cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons unsalted California butter fornia Milk seal. are made with real butter,” said Luchetti. “The rich, natural taste CALIFORNIA CITRUS CUPCAKES Yield: 12 cupcakes For Cupcakes: 5 tablespoons unsalted California butter, 1 1% 2% % % 2 1 softened cup granulated sugar Grated zest from 1 lime Grated zest from 1 orange Grated zest from 1 lemon cups flour teaspoons baking powder teaspoonsalt cup milk teaspoons lemon juice teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 4. In a small bowl, stir to- gether milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Note: Mixture will curdle slightly. 5. With an electric mixer on low speed, alternately add dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture in 3 additions, stirring well after each addition. On medium speed, add eggs one ata time, mixing well after each addition. Beat for 1 minute. 6. Evenly divide the batter between cupcake molds. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pans. Cool completely before frosting. Frosting: 1. Whisk together egg yolks, eggs and sugar. Whisk in lemon juice. Cook in a double boiler or on stove top over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. 2. Transfer lemon mixture to a bowl. Cool for 5 minutes,stirring occasionally. Stir in butter. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firm, 30 minutes to one hour. 3. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.
