Pretty in Pink!

I love pink. My kitchen is mostly pink. The Komen Kitchenaid line; I have most of it on display for all visitors to see. I used to hate pink. Black was my favorite color and it is still one of my favorites. Pink, to me, represented little girls and immaturity. It was the color that you put your baby in to identify its sex. The color of sticky sweet annoyance. Now it represents something completely different for me, cancer. Power. Hope.

I've heard cancer survivors and cancer patients express their hatred toward the pink ribbon. I get it. It is overdone. It’s everywhere and after awhile doesn't it start to lose its meaning? Sort of like saying I love you or I'm sorry over and over again. To some it probably does. To me it doesn't, I still notice every pink ribbon. When a company has a pink ribbon on their packaging, I notice it. I read it to see which organization they support and I think it is cool.

I sport pink because I want everyone to know that I have a passion for breast cancer education. I want people to ask. I want to tell my mother's story. I want to educate people and I want to answer questions. Pink is my power. It is me showing that after all that my family has been through; I have hope for the future. I will succeed. I will be healthy. I am educated.

Let’s talk pink cupcakes.

It has been extremely humid in Maine lately. We had a few nights where it cooled down and it was so comfortable to sleep. Now we are back to this muggy weather. I attribute my cravings for something lemony to the humidity. I was Googling lemon cupcakes and lemon buttercream when I came across these. Lemony AND pink!!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Source: Simply Sweet Bake Shop
Yield: 9 Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
1/4 c. buttermilk
Pink food coloring

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth.
3. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.
4. Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).

Lemonade Buttercream:
3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate
Pink food coloring

1. Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined.
2. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.