My New Favorite Cupcakes: WATERMELON!!!

I got this recipe online from another blog and I wanted to post it so you could see what I will be making sometime this week:) I hope you like!!

I love everything about these! They’re such pretty, fun, and seriously delectable little cupcakes, and they look as good as they taste! If you don’t want to invest in the very specific cupcake liners that I used here, plain green ones also look adorable. Or you could use bright pink liners, and frost the cupcakes with alternating stripes of light and dark green frostings (instead of pink), which I think would be so much fun, as well!

I tested out using the sugar pearls inside as more “seeds,” and although it looks fun, I again didn’t like the very crunchy texture they added. Mini chocolate chips work just as well and are less intrusive, although they do very slightly alter the flavor.

I had so much fun coming up with these and I hope that you get a chance to try them! They are, without a doubt, my new favorite cupcake! Ever. Enjoy!

Watermelon Cupcakes with Sweet Watermelon Buttercream
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 dram (1 teaspoon) watermelon flavoring oil
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 – 16 ounce container (about 2 cups) sour cream
Food coloring (optional)

FOR THE FROSTING
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 dram (1 teaspoon) watermelon flavoring oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons milk
5 to 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Food coloring (optional)

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line to muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in s small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in the watermelon flavoring. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just mixed. Add half of the sour cream, beating until just mixed. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream. Add color as desired.

Place two tablespoons batter into each cup of lined muffin pans and bake at for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and about a third of the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the milk and mix thoroughly before beating in another third of the confectioners’ sugar. Next stir in the lemon juice and the remaining sugar, beating until well mixed and light and fluffy. Add all of the watermelon flavoring. If the frosting is too soft, add more sugar, as needed. Add coloring as desired.