Thursday, January 31, 2008

Lemon Blossoms

I have been asked many, many times for this recipe, so I decided to just post it on my blog so whoever wants it can have it. I love these little lemon cupcakes so much that I could eat an entire batch in one sitting (but I have some willpower so I don't). My sister, Celeste, introduced them to me about a year ago. She called them "a little bite of heaven." And it's so true. I have made these for ward functions, baby showers, thank you gifts, birthday parties, and just for something to snack on around the house. They aren't really the prettiest dessert out there, but they are up there on my list of the best.

Here are a couple tips that I suggest (hey, I want you to be successful!), and then you can have the recipe:

* Regular, good ol' Pam is the only spray I've found that gets these cupcakes out in one piece with no breakage.

*The recipe says to bake for 12 minutes. Mine go for 7-8. Just watch them and take them out when the edges are golden brown.

*The recipe (from Paula Deen- love her!) says to stick a fork in the bottom of the cupcake to dip it in the glaze. The cupcakes fall apart on me this way, and it's so much faster to use your (clean!) fingers and just go for it.

Okay, here's the recipe!

Lemon Blossoms

Cupcakes:
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I use almost 1/2 cup)
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour (mine set way longer than this, like 3-4 hours or overnight), before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Enjoy! And let me know if you have any questions!

14 comments:

Kelli said...

I love these, but I need a mini cupcake pan. They are great for dessert but also for breakfast. Thanks for sharing your tips.

Stina said...

They are little drops of heaven. I'm glad you are the pro at these and can give great tips. Mmmmm. I want to make some now...

Summer said...

OH YEAH!!! These ARE heaven! One of my very favorite things to eat in the whole world! I have made them several times since you gave me the recipe a few months ago! Now, I try to always have a stock of yellow cake mix and lemon pudding on hand!

Carrie Anne said...

Those look yummy! I'll have to try them! I wish we were having cooking club so I could taste them.:)

Elise said...

Carissa, my mouth was watering reading that description and recipe, I think I'm just up too late and getting ready for 4th meal. I loved the pictures of Jack and the chocolate, I think that's how I look sometimes when I get a hold of my favorite donuts. We need to get together soon, it's been forever!

Kristin said...

Yummy! I've heard great things about "Carissa's cupcakes"! I'm excited to give them a try.

Celeste Pearson said...

These are yummy! I will take full credit for discovering them. And I find I like them better when the lemon is zested with a microplane rather than a zester. The zest isn't as big so it's not so overpowering.

Miriam said...

Yum! These bring back good memories...and make my stomach growl. I'll have to give them a try!

wirigendo said...

I never asked for them nor have i ever had them.

montanawildflower said...

Thanks Carissa! I'm so excited to make these and hope they turn out half as good as yours.

Rachel said...

I am obsessed with these things, I can always tell when you are making them because the stairwells smells heavenly! Thanks for the recipe, I've been meaning to ask for it.

wirigendo said...

Well holy crap!!! I never usually like others people's desserts that much but those are crazy good!!! I ate all six of them in like two seconds flat.

Now, I need more of them ASAP. Seriously, I need a lot more.

Thank you very much.

sara said...

Thanks for the recipe!!! I remember having these at a function and thinking that I needed to get the recipe, but I didn't know who made them. Now I do :)

Janelle said...

Ben's willing to buy me mini-cupcake pans solely for the purpose of making these. We loved them! They are the epitome of "melt in your mouth."