This recipe is from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and is from Elizabeth Faulkner's cookbook Demolition Desserts (Ten Speed Press).
Lemania Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Batter:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, soft ened but still cool
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
1 cup prepared lemon curd, your own or store- bought (see cook's notes)
Frosting:
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Cook's notes: Find lemon curd in the jam section of better supermarkets. You will need paper liners for your muffin tin, a resealable plastic bag to apply lemon curd, a candy thermometer for the frosting and a hand-held mixer.
Preliminaries: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
Make the batter: Sift together flour, baking pow- der, soda and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, whip butter and sugar for 4 minutes and then add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each. On low speed, add flour mixture to creamed mix ture in three additions, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Beat for 30 second after each, adding the vanilla.
Bake the cupcakes: Pour batter into lined muffin cups and bake in preheated oven for 25 min utes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan.
Fill the cupcakes: Using cooled cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake, starting about a half-inch from the edge and cutting no deeper than two-thirds of the way down into the cake. Cut off the point of the cone, keeping the cap. Repeat with all cakes. Place lemon curd in a resealable plastic bag that has been snipped at one of the nonsealing corners. Seal bag and squeeze to fill cut-out portion of each cupcake. Replace cap on each.
Make frosting syrup: Pour sugar, water and cream of tartar into medium saucepan and stir just to moisten the sugar. Heat pan on high and clip on a candy thermometer. Boil three minutes or until mixture reaches 280 degrees. Remove from heat.
Whip the frosting: In a medium bowl, use the hand-held mixer to whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Turn mixer to low and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup without pouring it on the beat ers. Turn to high speed and beat for 5 to 8 min utes, or until mixture is at room temperature. Beat in the vanilla.
Frost the cakes: Go flat or spiky, adding a sprin kle of lemon zest on top of each.
Presentation: Serve cupcakes cool.
Lemania Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Batter:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, soft ened but still cool
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
1 cup prepared lemon curd, your own or store- bought (see cook's notes)
Frosting:
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Cook's notes: Find lemon curd in the jam section of better supermarkets. You will need paper liners for your muffin tin, a resealable plastic bag to apply lemon curd, a candy thermometer for the frosting and a hand-held mixer.
Preliminaries: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
Make the batter: Sift together flour, baking pow- der, soda and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, whip butter and sugar for 4 minutes and then add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each. On low speed, add flour mixture to creamed mix ture in three additions, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Beat for 30 second after each, adding the vanilla.
Bake the cupcakes: Pour batter into lined muffin cups and bake in preheated oven for 25 min utes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan.
Fill the cupcakes: Using cooled cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake, starting about a half-inch from the edge and cutting no deeper than two-thirds of the way down into the cake. Cut off the point of the cone, keeping the cap. Repeat with all cakes. Place lemon curd in a resealable plastic bag that has been snipped at one of the nonsealing corners. Seal bag and squeeze to fill cut-out portion of each cupcake. Replace cap on each.
Make frosting syrup: Pour sugar, water and cream of tartar into medium saucepan and stir just to moisten the sugar. Heat pan on high and clip on a candy thermometer. Boil three minutes or until mixture reaches 280 degrees. Remove from heat.
Whip the frosting: In a medium bowl, use the hand-held mixer to whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Turn mixer to low and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup without pouring it on the beat ers. Turn to high speed and beat for 5 to 8 min utes, or until mixture is at room temperature. Beat in the vanilla.
Frost the cakes: Go flat or spiky, adding a sprin kle of lemon zest on top of each.
Presentation: Serve cupcakes cool.
Comments
I wonder if it would be good with strawberry puree in the meringue frosting instead of lemon?
And I'd be tempted to lemon up the cake...