Lemon Poke Cupcakes

Poke cake. It’s a great invention.

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s basically a cake with lots of holes poked in the top after it is baked and cooled, then some kind of liquid is poured over the top and allowed to seep into the top and holes.

I made a raspberry lemonade poke cake a while back, see it here.

My mother in law asked me to bring cupcakes to our Mother’s Day lunch, and I immediately decided to make lemon poke cupcakes. Lemon and Mother’s Day just go together to me – I don’t know if its because it’s spring, or if it just reminds me of moms and grandmas, but it always seems to be a big hit so I guess I’m on to something!

These cupcakes couldn’t be easier.

1. Bake lemon cupcakes and let cool completely. I used my favorite boxed mix – Betty! Feel free to use your own recipe. The magic of these is really the glaze anyway.

2. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, poke 10-12 holes into the top of each cupcake. They should only go about halfway down each cake.

3. Mix together 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice with a small spatula. (I used bottled lemon juice and it was just as good, though I probably would have used real lemons if I had them.)

4. Using the small spatula, “paint” the glaze on the top of each cupcake. You don’t need a lot, but you do want to get some on on most of the cake. It will slowly seep down into the holes and dry thin.

That’s it!

These cupcakes were so moist and just a little tart. They were a total hit with the family, and I only wish one batch had made more!