Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
makes: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2/3 cups of butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar (Put 2 tablespoons of sugar aside)
2 tablespoons of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of A.P flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of buttermilk
3 eggs separated
Directions:
As always make sure the ingredients are at room temperature. The cupcakes will not rise well with cold ingredients. note:(if your eggs are cold, put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes). Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Then spray your cupcake tin and line them with your cupcake liners so you're ready to go.
In a separate bowl, add your flour and baking powder and remember to sift them first (this keeps the lumps out). In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then add your egg yolks and combine them with the butter and sugar. Add the grated lemon zest, salt, vanilla extract, and the buttermilk to the creamed butter & egg yolks. Always remember when you’re doing this to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add all of your dry ingredients. Beat until creamy.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with 2 tablespoons of sugar to get them to stiff peaks. Add the beaten eggs whites to the batter and slowly incorporate with a spatula by hand. So you are folding the egg whites from the outside to the middle. So as not to deflate the whites.
The batter should look creamy and light. I use an ice cream scoop to put the cupcake batter in the liners. The rule of thumb is not overfill the liners, about 3/4 full is good. But I don't mind a little extra, I like a little more of a rustic look with the cupcakes. Bake them in the oven 350 for 15 to 20 minutes (I know each oven varies in temperature). They should come out light and fluffy.
You will need to allow them to cool before you fill them with lemon curd.
Lemon Curd Filling for Cupcakes
Prep time:
Cook time: 20 minutes Prep time:10 min.
Ingredients
3 Large eggs at room temp
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup of butter(softened)
1 zest of a lemon
It is important that you use fresh lemons (not from a bottle). It really does make a difference in the taste. Squeeze 3 lemons ; it makes a 1/2 cup of lemon juice.
You will need a zest of 1 lemon (Make sure you get the lemon skin and not the pith under it. It will make it bitter).
In a food processor add lemon zest & sugar until all blended together. (smells amazing) Add lemon juice and sugar mixture to your pot on a low to medium heat. Whisk together until the liquid is bubbling and sugar is melted. Take your hot pot off the stove to cool down. In a bowl add your 3 eggs then whisk.
When the liquid from the pot is slightly cooled, slowly stream your warm liquid to your eggs a bit at a time and whisk quickly. It's called tempering the eggs. When all is combined, add the mixture back to the saucepan. Keep whisking and put the heat on low to medium. The curd will start to bubble around the edges and will start to thicken up.
Take off the heat and pour through a strainer over a bowl for any extra imperfections in the curd.
Pour the strained curd into hot sterilized jam jars. top with the lids and Allow to cool.(listen for the "pop" that will mean the lids are properly sealed.
Time to fill those cupcakes with that luscious lemon curd. To fill the cupcakes you can use #230 to fill the curd in to the cupcakes or cut a little well into the middle of the cupcake and pipe in the curd that way. Make sure you fill the cupcake enough so it just comes to the top of the cupcake. So you know there’s lots in there.
All there is left to do is to ice those yummy cupcakes. I used an offset spatula to slather the icing on, with a little lemon zest over top.
Lemon Buttercream Icing
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
Make sure all of the ingredients for the icing is room temperature. It should be a nice whipped texture.
Note: If you find the icing looks like it’s curdled, add a little more icing sugar. Again, I do stress the importance of everything being room temperature. Then cream the icing.
Have a little extra cream incase you need to add a little extra to the icing.
If you have homemade blueberry or raspberry jam, that's also a great filler for the cupcakes. lemon & blueberry or lemon & raspberry go great together. Infact I have used my blueberry jam in these cupcakes and they were a hit!
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