Lemon Cream Cupcakes

These lemon cream cupcakes have restored my faith in cupcakes! I've always been a muffin girl, but these babies sure made my day.

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or extract (more if you'd like)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sour cream

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel, lemon extract and vanilla; mix well.

2. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).

3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Leave some in the bowl to enjoy unbaked! Yum!

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• approx. 3 to 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, depending how sweet you want it.
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the lemon juice and zest (amounts depend on how much flavor you want. I used about 3 tsp of juice and the zest of one lemon), then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Then just frost away!