Page 329 - Cupcakes

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg
1 cup milk

1 large lemon, zested and juiced (see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)
2 cups self-rising flour

GLAZE:

½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice or milk (see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest, reserved from the lemon above

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist the
bottom of 12 muffin cups with the vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Prepare the muffin batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Blend with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is creamy,

30 seconds. Add the egg, milk, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon lemon
zest (reserve the rest for the glaze) and blend on low speed just until combined,
30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a
rubber spatula. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon or the rubber spatula, 25
strokes. The batter will still be a little lumpy. Spoon or scoop ¼ cup batter into
each prepared muffin cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place the pan in
the oven.

3. Bake the muffins until they are lightly golden and just spring back when
lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the
oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around
the edges of the muffins, lift them up from the bottoms of the cups using the end
of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place
them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before glazing.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small
mixing bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of either the lemon juice or milk. Add
more lemon juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed, to make the mixture
pourable from a spoon. Stir in the lemon zest.