"Does that blow your mind? THAT JUST happened!" - Ricky Bobby

So- Blogger and I had a talk and we came to an agreement: I'm made of golden sprinkles, and it fessed up to being a dirty pirate hooker!
In other news- After visiting 4 'Michaels' stores in the area, I found a store with the Martha Stewart 'Poison' skull and 'Beware' Spider Cupcake Liners I mentioned before IN STOCK!! I may have scared the...confused...sales girl on the phone when I got mouthy because they can't hold items over night, but I got to the store and they were there! Waiting for me! My very own Excalibur, glowing...beckoning....
Then I did what any normal, pink blooded, american southerner would do- I put those magic beans to work! :)

Using THIS recipe, I made a Lemon Cake mix.

1 c. + 2 tbsp. butter, softened
2 1/4 c. sugar
6 eggs, separated
3 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. + 2 tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. lemon rind
1 3/4 tsp. lemon juice
Lemon Filling
Additional lemon rind
Lemon twist

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in lemon rind and juice. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
Bake 24 cupcakes in lined cupcake pans 18-25 minutes.
By the who-I also got some Wilton Edible Cake Sparkles in purple to match the coloring I planned to do with my frosting on another day(hence my snazzy Dr. Seuss sweater and lack of makeup-It was early in the AM-don't judge me the way I judge you! :)
Only fill the cups HALF way with batter cuz this icing is NOT regular frosting, so you need some of the wrapper to still be visible over the edge of the cakes to work as a...dam. If you put too much, your cupcakes will come out looking like giant, psychedelic muffins/mushrooms of the apocalypse! Here's some evidence:
I also made an icing that my mom and I have been really into for a while-'French Drip Frosting'-It's sort of like having a vanilla(or in this case-a light lemon) flavored ganache. I've never seen it anywhere, and we named it...and thought of it, so I guess we invented it...TAKE THAT, Bill Nye!! :)
'French Drip Frosting' -It's a flavored buttercream frosting that is then combined with a whipped cream.

Here is the recipe for the French Drip Icing:
French Buttercream-
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pound butter

Put sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan over high heat.
Meanwhile, beat eggs and salt until fluffy.

When all of the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is boiling, pour over beating eggs. Cut butter into cubes. When the eggs-sugar bowl is lukewarm to the touch, slowly add butter while continuing to beat until fluffy and smooth.

You then do the whipped cream-
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks.

Combine Buttercream and Whipped Cream and whip together for 1 minute. It should have the consistency of a very slowly moving melted chocolate-but-it should be thick enough that if you hold ur frosted cupcake upside down for a few seconds, the icing does not start to drip. If it is too runny, add confectioners sugar(powdered sugar).
I tinted the frosting a dark purple to keep with the Halloween/sinister theme in the baking cups using Wilton Gel Food Coloring from 'Michaels'(purple and black combo).

Always let the cupcakes cool before frosting!
AND----- Check it out Kittles!!! Cupcakes!!
So- say, "Voila, and Bonjour, light-lemony-rich-taste Nirvana!"
I LOVE that they say "Poison" on them...They just feel SO 'Alice in Wonderland' inspired to me. They belong in those books! ...AND in the movie! "Call me, Tim Burton! We can work something out!" I should get some sodas in bottles and tie "Drink Me" signs on them too!

Here's a tortured one...Tis the fate of all tiny cupcakes. Don't cry for him, Argentina-He took one for the team! :)
If u don't have WAY too much motivation in the baking area of life, I recommend 'Duncan Hines' cake mix and their lemon icing mixed with some 'Dream Whip' to substitute the 'from scratch' recipes. Not as authentically Penny, but still Faboosh!

And- Here's the only usable pic of Jasmine I could get....She did NOT help the team! She almost knocked over my laptop-and attempted to jump high enough to knock over the edible sparkles, but no...She did not help.

Tho- She looked damn cute being useless didn't she?! :)