If you’re a fan of lemon cake, you are going to go absolutely CRAZY for my lemon cupcakes with lemon curd. Moist lemon cupcakes, filled with tangy curd and topped with a swirl of sweet lemon buttercream. Oh and don’t forget a drizzle of even more lemon curd. Totally scrumptious!
The cold and often wet first months of the year can leave many people feeling as dreary as the weather here in the UK. I often find myself dreaming of warmer days in the coming months myself. And, of course, hoping for some sunshine too!
For me, lemons are the perfect sunny, mood-lifting flavour, especially when I’m baking. These lemon drizzle cookies are perfect for a quick-bake lemon fix, if that’s what you’re after.
I especially love lemon curd too: it’s so versatile! In our family, we enjoy it with scones, on toast or crackers, or even with pancakes/crêpes and berries for breakfast. Soooo good!!
These cupcakes are a triple whammy of this beautiful flavour: bright moist lemony cupcakes, filled with delicious zingy lemon curd. And the soft sweet buttercream on top just completes this beautiful trio. Perfectly balanced lemon flavour with sweetness. Absolutely delicious.
As is the eternal case in our home, these never hang around for long! They are barely able to remain untouched whilst cooling 😆 So once they have been filled and iced, they’re pretty much always gone within a day!
I’ve made these for friends, parties and even bake sales. Or just because we all need a little treat ourselves! Whatever your reason, I’m confident you’ll love these little beauties!
Thanks for joining me today in my kitchen. I hope you will enjoy making and demolishing my lemon cupcakes with lemon curd as much as my family and I do! 😊
Happy baking, friends!
Recommended equipment and ingredients I used *
| Cupcake tin | Cupcake cases |
| Piping bags | Piping nozzle |
| Sieve | Zester |
| Ice cream scoops | Stand mixer |
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate12
servings30
minutes20
minutes50
minutesMoist cupcakes, tangy lemon curd, sweet lemon buttercream. Heavenly!
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes
175 g (¾ cup+2 tbsp) caster sugar
2 lemons, zest
175 g (¾ cup+1 tbsp) unsalted butter cubed, at room temp
3 lrg eggs
175 g (1 cup+1 tbsp) self-raising flour
- Filling and topping
lemon curd, to fill and top cupcakes
220 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
440 g (3 cups) icing (powdered) sugar
2-4 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases and set aside.
- In a large bowl, tip in your sugar then zest in both lemons directly into your bowl. Stir to combine lemon zest and oils with sugar, then add butter to the bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well until combined before adding the next, and scraping your bowl down to make sure everything is well mixed together. Sift in the flour and mix to combine.
- Spoon your cake mixture equally between your prepared cupcake cases. I use an ice cream scoop, but you can use two spoons too. Bake in your preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until your cupcakes are springy to touch and a cocktail stick comes out clean. Cool.
- To make the buttercream, first, soften the butter in your mixing bowl. Add in the sugar and mix, then add enough lemon juice to help it come together. Beat for a few minutes until your icing is light and fluffy. Stir through with a spatula, then transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (I use Wilton 1M).
- Once your cupcakes are cool, cut out a hole in the middle of each cupcake (I use an apple corer, but a knife will do too), and fill with some curd, tapping your cupcake on the worktop to help the curd sink into the cupcake better. Once filled, pipe a buttercream swirl on your cupcake and drizzle over a little more lemon curd to finish. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Zest your lemons directly into your mixing bowl, then stir into your sugar. The sugar will absorb the flavours of the oil and zest, making for more flavourful cupcakes.
- When adding eggs, be sure to thoroughly mix each egg into your butter mixture before adding the next, or you’ll end up with a batter that looks like scrambled eggs.
- I like to stir my buttercream through after I’ve whisked it up, just to release some of the air bubbles. This means my buttercream pipes without any air pockets and so looks smoother.
