Recipe of the Week: Lemon Curd-Filled Angel Food Cupcakes

The inspiration for this week's recipe comes from a giant lemon I found at Wal-Mart.  I don't usually buy Wal-Mart produce, but this lemon was huge...so I took it home.  I also have the same cupcake wrappers used in the photo. I love these wrappers, but I had to buy 2000 of them for a wedding cupcake display.  That was the minimum order so I now have a lifetime supply.

Lemon Curd-Filled Angel Food Cupcakes

Southern Living Recipes

(original photo by Beth Dreiling Hontzas)

Cupcakes & Tulips

I made lemon cupcakes today with strawberry buttercream.  I cooked some fresh strawberries and made a puree and added that to the plain buttercream.  I have to say it turned out to be quite tasty.  A few months ago I bought a plastic cupcake vase and filled it with silk tulips....so I used that in the photos.

Snow & Lemon Cupcakes

I got a new phone today (see yesterday's post)...after I plowed almost 4 feet of snow to get out to the highway.  When I got back to the house, I remembered that there were lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream in the freezer.  Oh joy & rapture!  I needed that snack!

post-plowing snack!

Recipe of the Week - Lemon Blossoms

Week 28

This is my absolute favorite Paula Deen recipe - Lemon Blossoms.  Mini cupcakes so lemon-y they will make your mouth pucker.  Make a double batch because they will disappear fast!

Lemon Blossoms

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil   (at 7000 ft. I decrease the oil to 1/2 cup)

Glaze:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature cupcake tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth - about 2 minutes. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix until smooth.

Using your fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Batch Cupcakery (Reno, NV)

I visited the Batch Cupcakery in Reno yesterday.  There are numerous bakeries in Reno but this is the only one totally dedicated to cupcakes.  I had been reading about it for several months and was in the neighborhood. 

I bought four cupcakes...but only two made it home.  The Sweetheart (red velvet with cream cheese frosting) was gone before I made it to the interstate.  This is the best cream cheese frosting I have had from a bakery and it tasted just like my mother's recipe.  I would put this frosting up against any southern recipe.  I had planned to wait and eat the Lemon Drop (moist lemon cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream) after dinner, but I have no willpower so it disappeared somewhere between Reno and Carson City. 

The Batch Cupcakery web site lists business hours, flavors, maps/directions and contact information and you can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.  I will definitely be buying cupcakes there again.  The cupcakes are $1.75 each and very generous in size of cake and amount of frosting.  A great bargain in these tough economic times!

These photos tell the story of my visit. 

Nothing left but crumbs! 

Recipe of the Week - Lemon Cupcakes

Week 7

Lemon cupcakes are one of my favorites and the more intense the lemon flavor the better. I know I have already posted a lemon cupcake recipe, but I discovered a new recipe and we all know you can't have too many lemon cupcake recipes...this one will not dissapoint!

Lemon Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 cup sugar (or Splenda Blend for baking)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

3 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Combine flour, sugar (or Splenda), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork until crumbly.

Stir together eggs, milk, lemon juice & lemon zest in a small mixing bowl. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Beat for 30 seconds at low speed with an electric mixer. Repeat this procedure 2 more times. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.

Recipe of the Week - Lemon Filled Cupcakes

Week 5

While searching for a lemon bar recipe, I came across this lemon cupcake recipe from Baking Bites. Filling cupcakes is easy and makes a more elegant presentation. Martha Stewart's lemon curd recipe is delicious with these cupcakes.

Lemon Cupcakes Filled with Lemon Curd

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (room temperature)

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (or 1 tsp lemon extract)

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

approx 1 1/2 cups lemon curd

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Adding the lemon zest early helps release more of its flavor. Blend in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Add another 1/3 of the flour and the remaining milk, then stir in the remaining flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each approx 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To fill, use a melon baller to scoop a small hole in the top of each muffin. Alternatively, you can use star tip and pipe the curd into the cupcake. Fill with 2 tsp. lemon curd. Serve shortly after filling. Unfilled cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

Frost cupcakes with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese icing.