Bumble Bee Cupcakes

Lemon is in season!  I made some lemon ricotta cookies a couple of days ago and it was a hit!  My parents have a giant lemon tree in their front yard.  They get lemons all the time.  So I took some for baking :) There is a baby shower coming up, unfortunately I won't be able to make it.  I still bake some cupcakes to bring to work the day after though.  Hope the baby mama will like them. She likes homemade stuff.

Bumble Bee Cupcakes

(Lemon cupcake with honey buttercream frosting)

(24 servings ~ 200 calories each)

Ingredients:

for cupcakes

1 box Betty Crocker's SuperMoist lemon cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

4 egg whites

1 tsp lemon zest

for frosting

4 cups Confectioner's sugar

5 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tbsp honey

3 drops yellow food color

3-4 tbsp nonfat milk

for bumble bees

24 yellow plain M&Ms

12 brown plain M&Ms

melted semi-sweet chocolate

48 sliced raw almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin pan with liners, set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, mix lemon cake mix, water, applesauce, sour cream, lemon zest, and egg whites in low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to medium speed for 2 minutes.

3. Divide batter into muffin pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when tested.  Let cool completely before frosting.

4. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a Ziploc bag, cut a little hole at the corner of the Ziploc bag and draw eyes and smiley face on yellow M&Ms.

5. Prepare buttercream frosting, in a large mixing bowl, mix in Confectioner's sugar, butter, honey, yellow food color and milk, using an electric mixer, mix on medium to high speed until you reach the right consistency for pipping.

6. Pipe cupcakes.

7. Arrange bumble bees on cupcakes: yellow smiley face M&M, brown M&M, yellow M&M, then stick two sliced raw almonds on the sides for wings.

Enjoy!