Stand Mixer and Lemon Cupcakes

As a child, I spent most of the year eagerly awaiting Christmas so I could get presents from California Santa, the nom de plume of my Auntie Gina during the holiday season. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful of everything else I was given, but there was a magic from the inexplicably cool presents from the other coast. Years later, I was left gibbering over a present from my amazing aunt again, leaving a stunned and bemused Matt wondering why anyone would need a stand mixer bigger than a dog.

Stand mixers are amazing. They can knead dough perfectly in a fraction of the time. They can cream butter and sugar in moments. They make smooth batter. They make creating emulsions even easier than they already are. Macaroons! Home made butter! Add an extension and you can grind your own meat, make your own sausages, and more and more and more.

After I finished freaking out, I decided I needed to make something using my brand new stand mixer. I opted for these lemon cupcakes (the Fluffy version), with mascarpone frosting. In the end, they came out dense, lemony, buttery, and delicious. I forgot the baking powder (to compensate for my lack of self-rising flour), which explains their muffin-like appearance, but they were delightful. The frosting was a bit more of a challenge; the cakes and the frosting both had way more than the prescribed amount of butter. In England, which is a margarine country, butter comes in 250g thick blocks which don't adhere to teaspoon rules. I should have checked, but I eye balled, and ended up consuming so much butter yesterday I felt quite sick indeed.

Still, I feel this pretty much perfect gift deserves a few good pictures, since my Gordon Ramsay Mixer (Slogan: Kitchen Ware You Can Swear By!) wasn't to blame for my baking woes. Deep down, I will just have to accept that I will be plagued with conversation issues, much like NASA. Curse you, Imperial Measurement Upbringing!

Disclaimer: I am not food blogger and my photography skills were more than lacking, as is my haphazard resizing. Still, I beg you please to enjoy.

The Cupcakes
8 tablespoons of butter, softened (1 stick of butter)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Pre-heat the oven to 350F, or in my case, pretend you know what 350F is in Celsius and guestimate while turning the dial to a number less than 350.


First, Creaming the butter and sugar, with a cameo by my really giant rack and polka dotted bra. I am adding sugar.


This is a picture of partially creamed butter and sugar. Creamed butter and sugar should look a lot better than this when it's properly mixed. But seriously, look at that mixer. Whisk attachment go!

Add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour slowly, alternating with milk and lemon juice. At this point in the process, I wished I had a microplane and didn't have to peel the lemon with a knife and chop the peel up.


I used the beater, not the whisk for this part. Cleaning up the whisk was first delicious, and then effortlessly fast. It was amazing to watch this lumpy dough...




Turn into this creamy mixture in less than two minutes:




The final finished product looked dense and delicious. Observe my muffin-esque goodness..




The frosting may as well have been pure butter with some lemons and marscarpone for show instead of flavor.


But the finished product was delicious, decadent, and dense.


Much thanks to my Auntie Gina (and Miriam, and Adam, and maybe even Amanda and Warren) for their amazingly generous wedding gift.. The one I was sure I wasn't going to get. I am happy beyond words, and with a little practice and a lot less butter, I might even have something worth presenting beyond these excited, messy fingered, sloppy dim photographs.

Up next: My casserole dish and some manner of stew! Brought to you by Matt's babysitter Kelly! If it ever gets here. Royal Maaaaail!