Lemon Buttercream Icing

I really love citrus flavored desserts: lemon poppyseed muffins, lemon meringue pie, citrus glazes, lemon cupcakes, mmm I will eat those any day! So what better way to top a cupcake then with lemon buttercream icing?

This lemon buttercream is really easy to make, and it as amazing on the lemon poppyseed muffins (these are so light, some people have told me they are closer to a cupcake, so they definitely deserved some icing treatment!).  This icing recipe is from wilton.com, and the actual recipe can be found here.

This icing tastes the best when you use real lemon juice instead of the bottled lemon juice that you can buy at the grocery store.

The lemon buttercream icing has a strong lemon flavor due to the addition of lemon zest, so it would be great on vanilla cupcakes as well!

Lemon Buttercream Icing

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (not the kind that is butter flavored)
• 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
• 1 lemon juiced and zested
• 4 cups sifted icing sugar

1. Cream the shortening and the softened butter together
2. Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest, then beat well with a handheld mixer or with a stand mixer until fully mixed
3. Add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until it is fully mixed before adding the next 1/2 cup
4. If the icing seems really stiff, you can add some more lemon juice, milk, or water and beat until it is nice and fluffy.
5. Top your favorite cupcake! Enjoy!