Petite, pink-hued cupcakes—crowned with homemade frosting, candied lemon, and edible pearls—look ravishing on a tiered stand and pay homage to the signature cocktail at the tournament and the gorgeous Southern flowering shrub that blooms in March and April.
Azalea Cupcakes
Serves: 48
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups sifted cake flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
- Azalea Frosting (recipe follows)
- Candied Lemon Peel (recipe follows)
- Garnish: edible pink sugar pearls and Candied Lemon Peel (recipe follows)
Instructions
- • Preheat oven to 350°. Line 48 wells of mini muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- • In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon zest with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- • In a small bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream, and grenadine syrup. With mixer at low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined. Using a levered 2-teaspoon scoop, divide batter evenly among wells of prepared muffin pans.
- • Bake cupcakes until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 11 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on a wire rack. Gently remove cupcakes from pans.
- • Place Azalea Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M). Holding bag upright, pipe frosting in a downward motion onto each cupcake.
- • Garnish with pink sugar pearls and Candied Lemon Peel, if desired. Serve immediately, or place in an airtight container, refrigerate, and serve within 2 days. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
KITCHEN TIP: Add the pink sugar pearls to the cupcakes while the frosting is still damp to make them adhere correctly.
Azalea Frosting
Serves: 2 cups
This pretty pink frosting—flavored by pineapple juice, vanilla and grenadine extracts, and fresh lemon zest—provides a sweet and fruity topping for our Azalea Cupcakes but would also be quite good on a plethora of other cake flavors.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon grenadine syrup
Instructions
- • In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Use immediately.
Candied Lemon Peel
Serves: approximately ⅓ cup
These simple-to-prepare candies add delightful brightness and crunch to our Azalea Cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
Instructions
- • Using a channel knife on the smallest holes, cut strips of lemon peel.
- • In a medium saucepan, combine lemon peel strips, 1 cup water, and 1 cup sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves and syrup begins to thicken. Drain lemon peel strips*.
- • Toss lemon peel with remaining 1 cup sugar, shaking off excess, and place in a large, fine sieve to dry completely.
- *Reserve lemon syrup for other uses, such as a sweetener for iced tea, if desired.
