Lemon Cupcakes for Hannukkah
Ingredients
- 1½ – 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk–dairy milk or a nut rice, or soy milk all work fine
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine softened
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage chopped
- Juice of one large lemon plus enough milk to make 1/2 cup liquid
- 3 large eggs
- Zest of one large lemon about 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅔ cup strongly-flavored extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 15-20 fresh sage leaves
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Outfit a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another medium bowl, combine sugar, honey, lemon zest, and olive oil. Whisk together.
- Add eggs and beat well.
- Gradually add flour mixture, lemon juice, and milk to the sugar/honey/zest/oil/egg mixture, stirring as you go.
- Add sage and stir a few more times to combine and ensure that the batter is smooth. Do not over-mix.
- Fill liners 3/4 of the way, and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops bounce back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Buttercream Frosting
- Cream butter and about half of the powdered sugar. Gradually add milk and the rest of the powdered sugar, stirring well until smooth and spreadable.
- Fried Sage Leaf Garnish
- Heat oil in a skillet with tall sides to about 365 F (you can check with a deep fry thermometer or candy thermometer). Drop sage leaves into oil, 4 or 5 at a time, and allow to fry for about 5 seconds. Remove and lay on paper towels.
- To assemble cupcakes, top each with frosting, place a sage leaf or two in the center, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.