Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A Birthday Celebration: Mountain Dew Cupcakes

I love to bake delicious yummy treats. I'll take any excuse to eat delicious yummy treats. Birthdays give me the perfect excuse to experiment and try new recipes. Imagine my excitement when I came upon the perfect birthday treat for my coworkers birthday. 
Brandon loves anything Mountain Dew. So when I came across this recipe for Mountain Dew cupcakes, I knew that I had the perfect birthday treat for him. So I assembled my supplies, and got to work.
First I zested. And then I zested and zested some more. I hate zesting and this recipe calls for a lot of zesting. Let's face it, I zested my butt off. But, it's worth. I followed the recipe, and finally came up with some delicious looking treats to take into the office. Brandon and all our coworkers were happy! The boys in the office all love Mountain Dew, so it was definitely a big hit. 


Mountain Dew Cupcakes **
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup Mountain Dew
1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime)
zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separate into 2 piles, one for buttercream)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. Add the Mountain Dew, lemon/lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Mountain Dew Buttercream
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Mountain Dew
Juices from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime.
Lemon and lime zest (rest of zest from cupcake recipe. Or zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
neon green food coloring (yellow and blue if you dont have green)
1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
2. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy
3. Add half of the sugar, turn mixer on low for 5 seconds.
4. Add the Mountain Dew, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined.
5. Add food coloring to the desired color.
6. Gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

**Just a note. This batter is very heavy and did not rise as I expected. Therefore I had some little short cakes in attendance. I'd recommend filling the cupcake liner to the brim. 






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