The saga of our plane delay is a story for another day. This is about the wonderful cupcake recipe I found while browsing Mickey's Southern Living magazine.
I get Southern Living, but apparently I don't really study it like I do while on vacation. In the March 2012 edition, there is a recipe for a Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake. The picture looked so summer-like, I decided to make them so that we could enjoy them for the week.
Phillip and I made a trip to the grocery on Monday afternoon as the kids swam and enjoyed the Maryland sun. (They're actually having quite a drought in the area, but it made for a nice week of site seeing and outside events.) It's always interesting to visit grocery stores in other cities / states. I know grocery stores are grocery stores, but it's almost a second home for me back in Tallahassee and you really get to see another side of the local flavor of the town by exploring the aisles and people watching in the lines. Perhaps a sickness. I know.
Phil's sister and her kids were coming over on Tuesday, so I got up early on Tuesday morning and started working. The key ingredients are lemon and orange zests. Mickey does not have a zester (note to self for a Christmas gift) so I used her grater. It worked well. It's good to know that in a pinch there are options. The house smelled like fresh lemons and oranges. Mmmmm...
I've not made a "chiffon" or if I had I did not know what it was called, but I found it's like an angel food or sponge cake. Dense, spongy, but moist. Really good.
The frosting is really simple, too. The real work is in the zesting. I wound up using three lemons and three oranges for the batter and frosting recipes for both the zest and juice.
The finished products were as I expected. They are especially good straight from the fridge. Cold. Crisp. Refreshing.
Despite the heat, the torrential rains (or drought), and the challenges of moving about the country, Summer is the best time to reconnect with family and friends. The fruits of Summer and the fruits of our relationships are best enjoyed at their ripest. Savor every moment.
Angie
Now for the recipes...
Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cupcakes
- 2 & 1/2 c. sifted cake flour
- 1 & 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 c. fresh orange juice
- 3 tbsp. orange zest
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.
- Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer.
- Make a well in center of flour mixture; add oil, egg yolks, and orange juice. Beat at medium-high speed 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth.
- Stir in zest.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold into flour mixture.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
- Frost with Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting.
Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 3 tbsp. orange zest
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest
- 4 c. powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 5 tbsp. fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp. additional fresh orange juice (if needed)
Directions
- Beat butter, orange zest, and lemon zest at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy.
- Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with lemon juice and orange juice, beating at low speed until blended after each addition.
- Add up to 1 tbsp. additional orange juice, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
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