Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

These little beauties are absolutely delicious. They are light and moist with a sweet lemony taste that just melts in your mouth. They are made with a white cake mix and a few more additions that make these little cakes just luscious! I got this recipe from Kraft Food & Family magazine. It was on the cover of their spring magazine last year, and we have made them several times since then. They really are divine! The cream cheese frosting is so tasty, and I love to lick out the bowl. I have even put extra frosting between graham crackers and it was amazing! These are always a hit. For this particular occasion we took some to a neighbor who was kind enough to give us eggs so that we could make them. We assured them that they would be rewarded for their kindness. I also gave a few to my friend who was about to have her baby for a little pregnant sweet treat, and she loved them. They are so soft and fluffy. The frosting just tops it off, and the more frosting the merrier! We load it on. These cupcakes are perfect for spring but are fabulous served anytime, and anywhere!

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Kraft Food & Family

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

1 cup water

4 egg whites

2 Tbsp. oil

1 pkg. powdered sugar (16 oz.)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake 21-24 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Jazz it up: Stir 1 tsp. grated lemon peel into frosting mixture. Garnish with additional grated lemon peel. ( I always jazz them up with the lemon peel. I use a real lemon for the juice, and use the peel for the frosting. It gives it a much more zippy taste from the real lemon.)

*** I like to make my cupcakes in the aluminum foil cupcake liners. That way I can cook them all at the same time on a cookie sheet and I don't have to use my cupcake pans. If you haven't used these before they are fabulous, as long as you don't put too much batter in them... then they become a little distorted.

Enjoy!!!