I just couldn't abide bad cupcakes! So here is a recipe for Golden Yellow cupcakes. The good news is even though they are not "skinny" they are at least unsaturated fat. I am also including my recipe for buttercream icing. A pain for the average cook to make, but very tasty. You can also freeze it and use it another day. Just let it come to room temp and beat again. If it "weeps" just keep a mixin, it'll come together.

Golden Yellow Cupcakes approx 24 350 degree oven

2.5 C Flour
2.5 t baking powder
.5 t salt

sift and combine these is a seperate bowl.

1.5 C Sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1 C vegetable oil (canola, not olive)
1 t vanilla

combine these in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

1 C Orange juice, room temp

Stir one third of the flour mixture into the egg batter, then alternate with the OJ and rest of the flour.
Mix smooth but take care not to overbeat. The batter should be glossy and smooth and pretty loose. It will pour rather than lump into the cake cups.

Fill lined cupcake pans 2/3 full. I use a pitcher or a ladle for this. Wipe off any drips which will prevent burning in the oven.

Bake about 15 mins. Every oven is different. After 15 check a cake by touching it with your finger. If it's bouncy and firm it's done, if it's soft and dents give it another minute or two. The cakes get pretty golden but should not get dark. When in doubt slightly underbake a cupcake, those little babies will dry out in no time flat.


A little trick to warm up eggs straight out of the fridge is to set them in warm/hot water for a few minutes while you're assembling the other ingredients. Some other advice is to pull out all your ingredients before you start measuring and mixing. It'll be less stressful.


Gail's Meringue Buttercream icing

5 large egg whites, cold
1.25C granulated sugar
1/3 C hot water
1# sweet butter, cold
1t vanilla (or any other flavoring you like)

Place sugar and water in a small sauce pan and place over high heat. Boil until candy thermometer (sorry, you'll need one of those) reads 238 degrees/soft ball. Turn off heat.

Place egg whites in spotlessly clean grease free mixing bowl with whip attachment. (uh.. you'll need a stand mixer too...) and beat on high until the whites are stiff. Carefully pour sugar syrup over the whites with mixer on high. The sugar is molten lava, so be sure to be distraction free when you do this, and little fingers should definitely be out of the way.

Let the whites with the syrup beat for a few minutes 2-3. It will give off steam, that's ok.

cut up butter and with the mixer on a med/low setting drop the cold butter into the warm meringue.

Leave on low/med and let the butter cream stir down for a few minutes. It might appear soupy at first, it might look "broken", or it might look lumpy- just ignore it and let it go. As it incorporates and comes to room temp it will smooth out into a beautiful creamy consistency. Carefully add flavoring and stir in.

Use buttercream at room temp. You can also add melted and cooled chocolate or white chocolate to this icing.