Lemon Curd Filled Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Lemon desserts are hard to beat! We absolutely love them and find ourselves flavoring everything with lemon in the spring time. I decided to create a dreamy lemon buttermilk cake recipe with lemon buttercream frosting for Easter, and it turned out so delicious. The cupcakes are filled with lemon curd, and it really brings out the flavor of the cake! These are the perfect little spring treat to share at your next gathering.
I thought it would be extra sweet to decorate the tops of the cupcakes with slices of lemons, thickly grated lemon zest, and some of our printable Party Picks! Did you know that we sell digital goods in our online shop? I used the pick designs from both the Farmer Bear Party Printables and the Wild Rose Bear Party Printables. They are so cute and would make wonderful decor for a baby shower or spring party.
ingredients & recipe:
LEMON BUTTERMILK CUPCAKES (MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN):
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 large lemon, about 2 tbsp
8 oz lemon curd, homemade or store bought
LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 2 standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the eggs, incorporating them one at a time. Add the vanilla and sour cream, mixing until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Mix together the buttermilk and lemon juice. Slowly begin adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, alternating them, ending with the flour. Mix on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the lemon zest.
Fill the muffin pan with cake batter, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack and cooling to room temperature.
Fit a piping bag with a cupcake filling attachment and fill the bag with lemon curd. With the piping tip, clear out a space in the center of the cupcake, poking in through the top center, and fill with curd, squeezing the bag gently and moving upwards as the curd comes out. Fill each cupcake with about 1-2 tsp of curd.
Make the frosting. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Begin adding the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until a desired consistency is reached. I like mine a bit stiffer!
Decorate the tops of the cupcakes with lemon slices, lemon zest, a little sprig of thyme, and our printable Party Picks!
To fill these cupcakes, you may want to try using a piping attachment, which is a long nozzled attachment that you place inside a piping bag. It helps so much and is perfect for filling cupcakes, donuts, or other pastries. I think filled cupcakes may be the only way to go from now on! How about you?
xoxo Kayla
