Lemon Curd Cupcakes

I'm way behind on posting about these, since I made them way back for an Easter celebration. Oopsie!

These cupcakes were the perfect, lemony spring treat! The cake was light and fluffy and the frosting was cool and creamy. They were a HUGE hit a the Easter party I went to. One guest even commented that these were the best cupcakes she had EVER eaten!!

I made both regular size cupcakes AND mini cupcakes, because this recipe made a TON of cupcakes! I was not prepared for that. I had cupcakes coming out of my ears!


I topped some of them with bunny Peeps and the rest I just garnished with extra lemon curd.

By the way, this was my first time ever making lemon curd and it was SUPER easy and delicious! The lemon curd alone would be worth making, if the cupcakes aren't really your thing or you don't have time to make the whole thing.


One complaint I have with these cupcakes was that this recipe was very labor intensive. I know I say that a lot (I guess I'm just lazy), but I really mean it this time. Making these created about a bajillion dirty dishes and took me a good 3 hours from start to finish.

That being said, I would still say these were worth it for a special occasion since they were such a big hit!

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Source: yourhomebasedmom.com

Lemon Cake:

3 C flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 C sugar

4 eggs (separated)

1 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

zest of two lemons

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Mix well. Alternately add in flour mixture and milk. Beginning and ending with flour. Add in vanilla and lemon and lemon zest.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add egg whites into batter, folding gently.

Place into cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Use half of lemon curd recipe to fill the cupcakes either with a squeeze bottle or by cutting a small hole in the middle of the cupcake and filling with lemon curd.

Lemon Curd:

2 lemons

4 egg yolks

3/4 C sugar

4 Tbsp butter, cold

Zest the lemons. Juice the lemons. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and zest.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and thickened.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

1 C sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C whipping cream

Half of the above lemon curd recipe above.

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff. In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add in lemon curd. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.

**Note: Be sure you refrigerate these cupcakes if you're going to store them for any amount of time, since there is cream cheese in the frosting.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Sooo ummm...Don't hate me when I share this recipe with you.

Because this recipe is FAR from healthy.

In fact, it's sinful.

But if you don't make these cupcakes at some point, you won't know what you're missing out on....foodgasmic is one word that comes to mind.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes.

(Wipe the drool off your keyboard now.)

And, for the record, these are Worth. Every. Calorie. Trust me.

Just add in an extra 30 minutes of cardio and enjoy every last morsel of these scrumdiddlyumptious (LOL) cupcakes.

I came across these while searching for a good cupcake recipe to take to a party. I knew Annie of Annie's Eats is the queen of all things cupcake so I stopped by her blog for a looksie. I was not disappointed when I saw this gem of a recipe calling my name.


Chocolate chip cookie + Cupcake = BRILLIANT!! Two of my favorite desserts packed into ONE dessert.


I did take some liberties and simplified the recipe a bit. The original recipe called for stuffing the inside of the cupcakes with actual cookie dough AND topping the cupcakes with mini-chocolate chip cookies. I figured my brain (and waistline) would probably explode if I went that far, so I kept it to just chocolate chip cookie cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie icing.

They were so delicious as-is that I can only imagine the foodgasms that would result from trying the original recipe as-written.

The recipe below is how I made them (I also halved the original recipe), but please go check out Annie's blog for the original version as well (but be prepared for your pants to fit tighter just by looking at it).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Source: Annie's Eats (adapted slightly)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. milk
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners (12 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them as desired (I used a star tip and a piping bag) and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips for decoration.

Ashley's Notes: Don't be scared of the flour called for in the icing. I was at first but you really can't taste it at all. It just helps to give the icing a more cookie dough-like flavor. Also, if you don't have a piping bag a zip-top bag works just as well for piping icing.

Oh and, in case you were wondering, these were a big hit at the party I went to.

Duh.