Lovelight Lemon-Raspberry Sorbet Cupcakes

I was alerted this year to the 2nd Annual Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup hosted by Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious. How could I resist entering a cupcake or two?

I decided I wanted to make the ultimate “summery” cupcake – a lemon-raspberry cupcake of some sort.

Knowing full well I wouldn’t have a freezer to house said ice cream cupcakes (I live in a house with 4 roommates...you’re lucky to find a spot to squeeze a popsicle into), I waited until I went home to visit my mom, who has not one, not two, but THREE freezers in which to let the cupcakes cool and firm up.

I needed a cake recipe, so I went looking in a 50 year old cookbook. This Betty Crocker cookbook has been in our house since well before I was born – it belonged to my grandmother and is one of the few items we have of hers. I’ve used it countless times over the years, and continue to use it as needed.



I searched the index in the back of the book for a lemon cake recipe and found one. I modified the recipe to include lemon zest and raspberries, and The Lovelight Lemon-Raspberry Cupcake was born.



Sift together in a bowl:

2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Add:

1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp flavoring (I used lemon extract, natch)
Zest of one lemon

Beat one minute



Add:
Another 1/2 cup milk
2 egg yolks (reserve whites)
Generous ½ cup raspberries (I used frozen – bad idea! Turned the batter a dingy gray color. Next time I’ll use fresh.)



Beat one minute more

Fold in very stiff meringue of:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar



Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes, then transfer to the freezer for about an hour or so. I topped them with Häagen-Dazs lemon sorbet and fresh raspberries.

WARNING: Häagen-Dazs Lemon Sorbet is very refreshing, extremely tart, and HIGHLY addictive (especially if you’re a citrus lover like me). There was only one carton left at the store. It’s that good. Proceed with caution.

In a frosted pie plate, straight from the freezer: