Sunshine Cupcakes

Three weeks. The Clarke family did a pre-wedding cookout last weekend, which is not a tradition exactly but which Marcus declared a tradition on the spot and everyone agreed to call it one from now on. Twenty-two people. Three grills. Marcus managed the grills with the intensity of someone running a small military operation.

I made three things. Potato salad, which I have now made enough times for large groups that I can do it by feel: the right amount of mustard, enough pickle relish, not too much onion. Baked beans, which went into the oven at eight in the morning. And Gloria tea cakes, which I set on a platter and which disappeared in sixteen minutes. I timed it. Sixteen minutes for four dozen cookies. That is the best review I have ever received.

Debbie pulled me aside toward the end of the evening and held my hands and looked at me and said welcome. That was all she said. Just welcome. I have been thinking about that word ever since. Welcome. It means you were expected. It means there is room. It means you do not have to explain why you showed up because the showing up was always the plan.

I went home and told Tyler what Debbie said. He said she has been waiting to say that for two years. He said she told him last Christmas that I was the one and she wanted to say welcome properly and she was waiting for the right moment. I said the right moment found her. He said it always does. He is right about that. The right moments have a way of finding the people who are paying attention.

The Gloria tea cakes were the ones that vanished first — sixteen minutes, four dozen, gone — and I think that is because people can taste when something was made with intention. I have been thinking about what to bake next for the Clarkes, and these Sunshine Cupcakes felt exactly right: bright, a little golden, the kind of thing you set on a platter and watch people reach for without being asked. Debbie said welcome, and I want everything I bring to that table from here on out to taste like I meant to be there all along.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 38 minutes | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Sunshine Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1–2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Yellow sprinkles or sanding sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add eggs and flavor. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest until combined.
Combine milk and lemon juice. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and let it sit for 1 minute — it will look slightly curdled and that is perfectly fine.
Alternate wet and dry. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the lemon milk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined; do not overmix.
Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly to the touch.
Cool completely. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting — at least 30 minutes.
Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and food coloring if using. Beat on medium-high for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Frost and finish. Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Top with yellow sprinkles or sanding sugar and serve on a platter — watch how quickly they disappear.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sunshine Cupcakes — The Ones I Baked the Day I Was Welcomed In