LEMON AND THYME CUPCAKES WITH WHIPPED CRANBERRY-VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Try making lemon and thyme cupcakes with whipped cranberry-vanilla bean buttercream frosting for a perfect holiday savory sweet. These cupcakes are light and fluffy, with a subtle citrus-herb flavor. If you do not like herbs, you can omit them and make regular lemon cupcakes.

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I recently made some light and fluffy cupcakes with a subtle citrus-herb flavor that turned out delicious, and I just had to share the recipe with you all. It's incredible how simple tricks can elevate a box cake mix to a homemade one. In my opinion, there seems to be little difference between the two. I replaced the water with milk to add creaminess and used butter instead of oil to give it a buttery flavor. I added lemon zest and fresh thyme to bring out the citrus-herb flavor. It turned out to be a perfect mix of sweet and savory.

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As with most of my recipes, I encourage you to make it your own. You can use different ingredients to elevate your cake, such as pudding, banana, or almond extract. Take your time with this recipe, it may look complex, but it's not. If you don't have vanilla bean paste for the frosting or syrup, it's not a big deal, the recipe will still turn out great. You can also use frozen cranberries or dried thyme, you do not have to use fresh ingredients .

I got inspired by several recipes I came across over the years, and I'm happy to share this one with you. The recipe is a guide, so feel free to adjust it.

To make the cranberry-vanilla bean syrup, combine 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries.

Bring the mixture to a boil; once it starts, reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for around 10 minutes until the cranberries have erupted and the mixture thickens. Let the mixture cool for a while.

Strain the mixture into a bowl using a strainer, pressing the cranberries with a wooden spoon or spatula to extract as much juice as possible.

Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste to the strained mixture and stir.

You can keep it in a mason jar, but ensure the syrup completely cools before you place it in the fridge.

Do note that the syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. I like to just let the syrup sit while making the cupcakes, and it is usually cooled when it is time to make the frosting.

This syrup can be used for much more than this recipe like cocktails, and cranberry lemonade.

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To make the cupcakes, you'll need a box of Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, 1 cup of whole milk, 1/3 cup of butter at room temperature, the juice of one small lemon, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves + more for garnish, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest will be used for the garnish (optional).

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two 12-cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

Lightly grease the liners with baking spray. Whisk together the cake mix, whole milk, butter, lemon juice, and fresh thyme leaves in a large bowl. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the fresh thyme and lemon zest.

Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter and bake for 16-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cupcakes cool completely. While the cupcakes are cooling, start preparing your frosting.

To make the whipped cranberry-vanilla bean buttercream frosting, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter (yes, I use salted butter; it is just more convenient, to be honest), 1/4 cup cranberry-vanilla bean syrup that you made earlier or ahead of time, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste are used in this recipe.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until they start to come together. Increase the speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until the frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl. You can whip the butter first and slowly incorporate the powdered sugar then add in the cranberry-vanilla bean syrup and vanilla bean paste.

To assemble the cupcakes, frost with the whipped cranberry-vanilla bean buttercream frosting and garnish with small pieces of thyme and lemon zest.

Notes:

-Store frosting at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 30 days.

-The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.

-The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (14 days).
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