Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes for the Infinite Jest Bookclub Potluck

After 4 months of putting off reading Infinite Jest, one month of slowly reading Infinite Jest, and 1 month of plowing through the last 800 pages of Infinite Jest, I finally finished it. Let me tell you, it was brilliant. It was so perfect and purposeful. It was 1100 pages but it was all super tight and wonderfully connected. I loved loved loved it. You can read my full review on Goodreads

Of course, when we discussed it at book club, I had to bring a thematically appropriate food. In the book, the only foods that appear are hash brownies and heroine. Even though those seemed thematically appropriate, they seemed questionably legal. I opted for cupcakes instead. I named them "Infinite Zest" because although I liked "The Year of the SuperMoist Betty Crocker Cake Mix" better, I did not think it would work for a from-scratch cake. (Note: if you read the book, you'd understand the years of subsidized time)

I got this recipe from Baking Bites but upped the amount of lemon.

These cupcakes have a delightful lemon lime flavor. They're not too sweet and I top them with a cooked flour frosting (because that's really the only kind of frosting I really like)

Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 3 lemons
• zest of 2 limes
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Muddle together sugar, lemon and lime zest so the zest doesn't stick together.
2. Cream together butter and lemon-lime sugar until light and fully. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully in between
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the eggs and butter. Then half the milk. Alternate, ending with the dry ingredients
5. Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 until done. Let cool completely before frosting

Ingredients for cooked flour frosting

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• vanilla or lemon extract (depending on how lemony you want the cake)
• yellow and green food coloring

Directions for frosting

1. Cook flour, milk and sugar on the stove until a very thick paste forms
2. Cool mixture completely in the refrigerator
3. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until it emulsifies and makes a light, fluffy frosting. Add extracts as desired
4. Remove a little of the white frosting and set aside for the white lines on the tennis ball. Color the rest of the frosting as desired. (To make tennis ball green, it will probably take about 20 drops of yellow and like 3 drops of green)

After 4 months of putting off reading Infinite Jest, one month of slowly reading Infinite Jest, and 1 month of plowing through the last 800 pages of Infinite Jest, I finally finished it. Let me tell you, it was brilliant. It was so perfect and purposeful. It was 1100 pages but it was all super tight and wonderfully connected. I loved loved loved it. You can read my full review on Goodreads

Of course, when we discussed it at book club, I had to bring a thematically appropriate food. In the book, the only foods that appear are hash brownies and heroine. Even though those seemed thematically appropriate, they seemed questionably legal. I opted for cupcakes instead. I named them "Infinite Zest" because although I liked "The Year of the SuperMoist Betty Crocker Cake Mix" better, I did not think it would work for a from-scratch cake. (Note: if you read the book, you'd understand the years of subsidized time)

I got this recipe from Baking Bites but upped the amount of lemon.

These cupcakes have a delightful lemon lime flavor. They're not too sweet and I top them with a cooked flour frosting (because that's really the only kind of frosting I really like)

Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 3 lemons
• zest of 2 limes
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Muddle together sugar, lemon and lime zest so the zest doesn't stick together.
2. Cream together butter and lemon-lime sugar until light and fully. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully in between
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the eggs and butter. Then half the milk. Alternate, ending with the dry ingredients
5. Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 until done. Let cool completely before frosting

Ingredients for cooked flour frosting

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• vanilla or lemon extract (depending on how lemony you want the cake)
• yellow and green food coloring

Directions for frosting

1. Cook flour, milk and sugar on the stove until a very thick paste forms
2. Cool mixture completely in the refrigerator
3. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until it emulsifies and makes a light, fluffy frosting. Add extracts as desired
4. Remove a little of the white frosting and set aside for the white lines on the tennis ball. Color the rest of the frosting as desired. (To make tennis ball green, it will probably take about 20 drops of yellow and like 3 drops of green)