Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I was surfing the web this morning and I ran across this recipe from Swamp Hollow Designs and I had to wipe the drool off of my mouth! These look so pretty and refreshing, I can't wait to get in my kitchen and whip up a batch! yea yea....Diet Shmiet...I can have at least ONE!! 

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup butter, soft 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 egg 
• juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2/3 cup milk 
• finely grated lemon zest (from one full lemon)
• red food coloring 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with baking liners. 

1. On the finest grating surface of your grater, zest the peel of one entire lemon. Set the zest aside. Now cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into a small bowl. (Set the other half of the lemon aside - you'll be using it for the icing.) 

2. In large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. When thoroughly mixed, add the egg and beat well, until fluffy. Now stir in the lemon juice, mixing well. 

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture, stirring well so there are no lumps. When it is mixed together well, slowly stir in the milk. 

4. Add a few drops of red food coloring to make it the tint of pink you'd like (I used 6 drops in my batter). Finally, add the lemon zest, stirring to distribute evenly. 

5. Pour your batter into the baking liners, until they are about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake in your oven until they are just done, about 20 - 24 minutes. When they are done, they will feel springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

Ingredients for the Icing:

• 1/3 cup butter, very soft 
• 2 cups icing sugar (approximately) 
• juice of 1/2 lemon 
• tinted sugar (optional), for garnish 

Directions: 

Cream together the butter and half of the icing sugar. Add the lemon juice, stirring well. Now whip the rest of the icing sugar into the mixture, until you have the consistency you like (you may need more or less than stated above, depending on what you like). When your cupcakes are completely cooled, you can pipe (or spread) your icing onto the cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkle of tinted sugar or another garnish of your choice. Voila! 

Tinted Sugar - put a couple of teaspoons of granulated sugar (coarse sugar works best!) in a small bowl or container. Place a single drop of food coloring on top, and stir (or shake) until thoroughly mixed. Enjoy!!! Makes 10-12 cupcakes