Corrine’s Lemon Cloud Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

For years Corrine tried to resist the urges of her sweet tooth, a little slice here, a few nibbles there, but never being able to go *all out* before the guilt would rise up.  Last September she decided that life was just too short and she was going to indulge her sweet tooth whenever and wherever. It would have a little bit of competition for Corrine’s attention however, as this young Mom was busy with an infant daughter and a two year old son.  Whenever she did get the opportunity to bake, she recorded her efforts in her aptly titled new blog Indulge and for the past 10 months readers have been  showcased one delicious looking treat after another.   Having a habit of not always following the recipe has at times, led to some disappointments for Corrine but more often than not, her *devil may care* attitude towards the need to accurately measure or stick to the recipe has produced some wonderful desserts.  She has participated in the Daring Bakers Challenge and her posts on those endeavours are like the rest of her blog, refreshing, honestly written and wonderfully photographed.  At times Corrine shoots her own pictures and other times her friend takes them as shown in Corrine’s first very successful attempt with royal icing and her pink themed birthday party for her daughter. Corrine has started a portfolio on foodgawker which I have not doubt will expand quickly.  She also finds time to participate in a team blog challenge called Have the Cake and since January, she has been maintaining a Facebook page.  Helping Corrine indulge in her sweet tooth cravings sometimes becomes a family affair as seen here when her husband pitched in and even her Mom has come out to help from time to time.  People rarely loose a sweet tooth so it’s a safe bet to say that there’s many more sweets to come in the months and years ahead for the followers of Corrine’s blog.  Even those deprived of a sweet tooth will enjoy a visit there.  I’m delighted that she is here today, sharing her story and recipe with us.  You can follow Corrine on Twitter @IndulgeBaking

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I’m very fortunate.  No one close to me has been diagnosed with cancer.  However, since having children of my own, cancer is something I think about a bit more often.  Whenever I hear about a child being diagnosed with cancer it breaks my heart. I can’t even begin to imagine what these families must go through.  Or I think about what would happen if my babies had to grow up without their mom.  So I wanted to do something to help. I don’t have the time or energy to run a marathon at this point in my life, so when I heard about “Frosting for the Cause” I was all over it, doing something I love for such an important cause!

I decided to make these angel food cupcakes with some fluffy blueberry frosting to top them off.  They were light as air with a gorgeous lemon flavor, so I called them lemon cloud cupcakes!  I hope the kids and families at the George Mark Children’s House enjoyed them.

Lemon Cloud Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

For the Cupcakes:

11 egg whites, room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1 ½ cups superfine sugar, divided

1 ¼ teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Line two standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Sift together the flour and ½ cup of the sugar and set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt into a the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the remaining 1 cup of sugar, then beat on high until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Slowly and carefully fold in the dry ingredients ½ a cup at a time.  Once the flour has been absorbed, fold in the lemon peel.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each ¾ of the way full.  I find a large ice cream scoop makes this easy.  Smooth the tops with a small offset spatula.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned on top and cupcakes spring back when touched.  Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons pureed blueberries (approximately ½ cup whole)

Combine butter and confectioner’s sugar in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the butter and sugar come together (it will start off quite crumbly).  Add the whipping cream and beat on high speed until the frosting becomes light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.  Add the blueberries and beat until combined.

Fill a decorator’s bag fitted with the large star tip (or whatever tip you prefer) and pipe in a circular motion, starting on the outside and finishing in the middle by releasing pressure on the bag and then lifting the tip.

Finish with a blueberry on top!