a lemony birthday treat for a sweetie!

just before we started exams in early december, my adorable roommate celebrated her 19th birthday (lucky her-- she had to study that night!).  we decided to order pizza and hang out at the apartment for a low-key celebration instead of going to Boylan as we do traditionally for every birthday.

and as is custom, i whipped up a delectable birthday sweet in honor of her big day!  now, my silly roommate is known for eating cookies for breakfast, and croissants with nutella multiple times a day-- she definitely has a sweet tooth.  i decided to make some cupcakes instead of a whole big cake so that she could snack on the leftovers all by herself!

it was super simple, but elegant and a little different from the traditional chocolate or vanilla confection.  i started with a common boxed yellow cake mix (i like to use dunkan hines because it is really, really moist) and baked it according to the directions on the back of the box.  i used a regular muffin pan but skipped the liners since i didnt have any on hand (use 'em if you'd like!).

while the baked in the oven, i started the extra-special component of these cupcakes--the lemon simple syrup!  i eyeballed these measurements, but i added about 1/3 c. lemon juice and 1/8 c. water along with 1/8 c. of regular cane sugar to a small saucepan.  turn the heat on low and stir the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.  the syrup should be sweet, but very lemony (not tart).  it won't be the consistency of syrup-- don't worry!

i took the cupcakes out of the oven and out of their muffin tins so they wouldn't continue cooking.  now for the fun part: take a long-tined fork or some poking implement and pierce the cupcakes several times all over the top.  once poked, take two spoonfuls of the lemon syrup and pour right over the cupcakes into the pokes you've made.  this will keep the cake SUPER moist and delicious, and will also add a sweet lemon flavor.  

now don't throw out the rest of the syrup that you don't use!  i wanted to make a light lemon glaze for the tops of these cupcakes, so i used the leftover syrup as the liquid base for the frosting.  take the syrup (i had about 1/6 c. left) and add in about two cups of powdered sugar.  i know this sounds like a lot, but powdered sugar dissolves almost instantly and you'll need a lot of it for just a little bit of liquid!  keep adding sugar until it makes a semi-thick glaze.  i added a few drops of yellow food coloring to the frosting for a cute sunshiny look!

take the slightly cooled cupcakes from their resting place (a baking sheet works well) and carefully turn them top-side down into the glaze, letting the excess drip down the side of the cakes when you put them upright on the baking sheet.  let the glaze harden slightly on the tops before you enjoy them!

these cupcakes are inexpensive, super easy, and very impressive!  plus, they keep wonderfully in the refrigerator for a few days (if they even last that long!) because the simple syrup keeps the cake moist and delicious.

happy 19th birthday, marwa!  heres to many more fun ones together!