Lindsey Nair

Features staff writer Lindsey writes about food, restaurants and recipes.

Recent columns

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• Cancer fighters: foods that may help fight disease

Recipes

• Squash custard pie
• Espagnole sauce

• Recipe archive

Makes two dozen standard-sized cupcakes

The can of soda gives these little cakes an unparalleled zing of citrus flavor and a dense, moist texture. I love these cupcakes. It’s a classic box-mix cake formula that (in my experience) does not work as well from scratch.

— Lisa Lusk

For the cake:

1 (18 oz.) box lemon cake mix

1 box instant lemon pudding mix

1 (12 oz.) can lemon-lime soda (such as Mountain Dew)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/8 tsp. lime extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two standard-sized muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the above ingredients and process for 30-45 seconds. Turn off mixer and scrape down bowl. Process until smooth, an additional 30 seconds or so.

3. Portion batter evenly into baking cups, approximately 2/3 full.

4. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake emerges clean. Cool completely before icing.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare the icing:

1 container prepared vanilla frosting

1/2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. nonalcoholic natural lemon flavoring

1/16 tsp. lime extract

1 dab of leaf green gel food coloring (available at craft stores)

1 dab of lemon yellow gel food coloring

1. Combine all ingredients until streak-free and smooth, using either the whisk attachment on your mixer or whisking by hand.

2. Ice each cupcake and garnish, if desired, with green sprinkles and a cocktail umbrella.

— Recipe courtesy of Lisa Lusk of Roanoke