Well, my baking hiatus is over! And in perfect timing too, as we saw these lovely Meyer lemons at the store the other day, and made me want to make something with them. I didn't know what exactly yet, but I figured I'd try! Last time I used Meyer lemons for a sweet treat were when I made my Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake, and that turned out so great!
For these cupcakes I ended up mashing different recipes together, but I mainly used Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' recipe for Martha's Meyer Lemon Cupcakes. The curd I made from the same book too, no changes made to the recipe. For the cake I didn't have any cream cheese (I swear someone took the box I was saving for this recipe from the fridge...) so I substituted sour cream instead, and increased the amount of baking powder.
Since this recipe didn't call for any frosting, I had to figure out how to go about that. I mean, what kind of cupcake doesn't have frosting, right? That's just the best part! :) So I sort of made a recipe up, using cream cheese (I went to buy some for the frosting) and butter. I was aiming for a tangy, sweet, and light frosting, to complement the denser cake and very tangy curd. I think this recipe nailed those requirements!
Next time you are at your local store/market/grocery and find Meyer lemons, you'll know just what to do with them!
Triple Meyer Lemon Cupcakes
(makes ~40 cupcakes)
Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
-2 whole eggs plus 8 eggs yolks
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
-3 1/2 cups AP flour, sifted
-2 Tbsp finely grated Meyer lemon zest
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-3 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup (8oz) sour cream, room temperature
-7 large eggs, room temperature
-1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
-8oz (1 box) cream cheese, room temperature
-3 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
-3-4 cups confectioner's sugar
Directions:
For the lemon curd:
1. Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
2. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, zest, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes.Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
For the frosting:
1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and cream cheese together until well incorporated. Then add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and 1 cup of confectioner's sugar and whisk well, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Alternate between lemon juice and confectioner's sugar, until all the lemon juice is used. If frosting seems too runny for you, add another 1/2 to a full 1 cup of confectioner's sugar.
Assembling it all together:
1. Using the cone method, cut holes into the cupcakes. Fill each cupcake with curd, then top with frosting. I personally did not add the "lid" of cake back on the cupcake like the above cone method shows just so I would have lots of curd on the cupcake. You can put the lid back on if you'd like so you have an uniform cupcake amount.
Recipes adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes'
