Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: Bittersweet

To all the teachers and staff at the PJCC who have been with my family for the past 6 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Today was my last time preparing food for the teacher's luncheon at the preschool where Son and Daughters have all attended for the past 6 years.  As I helped out at the luncheon today, I gave many of the teachers who have been with my family big hugs and held back tears as I almost wanted to lose it - repeatedly.

Different teachers came up and talked about special memories of my kids, with one teacher remembering how much Daughter #2 adored art and was so artistically inclined.  Others remembered Daughter #1's cute smile and inability to speak any English when she first arrived.  (Straight from Korea we stuck her in this school.)  Still others had a warm word to say to me, including, "Just have another baby and you can come back."  Which I actually would consider if I didn't feel my womb protesting.

The time with the teachers was nothing short of bittersweet.  There were were relationships in the room that I've built up over this time, and so many wonderful teachers and administrators who have touched the lives of my children sincerely and lovingly.  I know that Son and Daughter had experiences here that I wouldn't change for the world.  They have been prepared for the future and watching their development, I have been blessed.

I just want to cry right now.  But I won't.  I'll only say to this wonderful preschool, I wish I could stay forever.

To celebrate (can one celebrate when your heart is breaking?) I made these lemon cupcakes for the teachers and staff to enjoy.

(one of Daughter's teachers is retiring after many years at the school, and we decided to do a tiny little recognition of her - Thank You bunting)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting 
Makes 24 regular cupcakes, 48 mini cupcakes

Lemon Cupcake
Ingredients
2 cups regular sugar
2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs (taken out of the fridge the same time as the butter)
1¼ cup buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat oven to 350.  Line either regular or mini sized cupcake tins.

In a food processor, pulverize together lemon zest and sugar.  (Doing so releases the lemon oils.)  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend softened butter and lemon sugar until thoroughly combined.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well mixed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is well blended.

Add half of flour mixture and mix until just combined. and add half of buttermilk and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl.  Add remaining half of flour mixture, mix until just combined and then add remaining buttermilk.  Mix until just combined.again.  At this stage, the less you mix the better for your cake.  (too much mixing makes for a tough cake.)

Divide batter into prepared tins.  Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until cake springs back when gently pressed with finger tips.  Cool for 20 minutes, then remove cake from pans and cool on wire racks until completely cool.

Lemon Frosting
Insgredient
1 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lemon zest
5-6 cups of confectioners sugar

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform.  Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform.  Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix.  Add lemon zest and 2 more cups of sugar.  Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable.  Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cupcakes.  Use either a pastry bag and a piping tip (I like the Wiltons 1M since the lemon zest sometimes can clog other tips) or spread with a knife.

Printable recipe

Cute cupcake liners - love this brand.

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