meyer lemon cupcakes with meyer lemon buttercream

it's been a while since i've made anything sweet. honestly, i think the back to back cakes in january had me sugared out. last week i picked up a bag of six meyer lemons in the store. two were already spoken for, leaving me with four. the perfect number to make these cupcakes. 

i love lemon desserts, almost as much as hubs, so it's no surprise these cupcakes are one of my favorites. ever. using meyer lemons makes the cakes not too sweet, not too tart. and the buttercream is the perfect finishing touch. so last week, while everyone else was watching beyonce sex it up, i was mixing up these cupcakes. definitely not a bad way to spend a sunday evening.

meyer lemon cupcakes with meyer lemon buttercream
adapted from miss delish
makes 18-24

i listed a range of 18 to 24 cupcakes for this recipe. i used a 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake and had 24. only a couple had nice, rounded dome tops, the rest were a little puny. if you want them to be a bit taller, i suggest dividing the batter among 18 cups instead of 24.

last fall i started using my medium cookie scoop, which holds 1 1/2 tablespoons, to portion frosting. for me, this is the perfect amount - not too much, not too little. if you like to pipe big swirls or want more frosting, i suggest doubling the recipe. i made double and froze half of it, since i didn't even come close to needing it all.

for the cupcakes:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
the juice & zest of 2 meyer lemons
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

for the buttercream:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
juice of 1 meyer lemon
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. preheat your oven to 350F and line 2 muffin tins with paper cups. set aside.
2. to make the cupcakes, combine the milk and lemon juice and set aside while preparing the rest of the batter.
3. to make the cupcakes, cream the butter with an electric mixer until light. add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs one at a time, mixing each completely before adding the next. add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined.
4. in a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. with the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk & lemon juice until combined. 
6. divide the batter between the cupcake liners and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
7. while the cupcakes bake and cool, make the frosting. cream the butter with a mixer until light and fluffy. add the lemon juice and mix until combined. alternate adding the sugar and the milk until it is all combined. add the vanilla and mix on high for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
8. top each cooled cupcake with buttercream. these cupcakes are best the day they're made. they're good the next day, and are really dry on the third day.