Lemon Vanilla Cupcake

Ingredients

Cupcake

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature (113 grams)
• 180 grams sugar (¾ cup)
• 10 grams vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)
• 10 grams lemon extract (1 Tablespoon)
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 180 grams milk (¾ cup), at room temperature
• 240 grams flour (about 2 cups when measured by scooping and leveling)
• 3 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
• 7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)

Frosting

• 4 Tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature (56 grams)
• ½ teaspoon lemon extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 365 grams powdered sugar (about 3 cups)
• 115 grams heavy cream (½ cup)
• Pinch of kosher salt

Direction

Cupcake

1. Heat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners.
2. Use a hand mixer to cream butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract together in a large mixing bowl (you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Spend a few full minutes on this step: You want the mixture to be well incorporated (there should be no obvious chunks of butter), with a light and fluffy texture.
3. Beat egg and milk into batter until they’re just combined.
4. Use a large spoon or spatula to gently fold flour, kosher salt, and baking powder into batter until everything is just combined. 
5. Divide batter into cupcake liners, filling each liner about ⅔ of the way full (we like to use a large cookie scoop for this). Bake at 325° F for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
6. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely before you make the frosting.

Frosting

1. Use a hand mixer to cream butter, lemon extract, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl (you can also use a stand mixer).
2. Add powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, then stream in heavy cream a little at a time, beating well between each addition, until you have a smooth, stiff, fluffy frosting.
3. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes (you can also spread the frosting over the cupcakes with a spoon or offset spatula).