Triple lemon cupcakes

I didn't realize my love for lemon until I started to learn cooking, specifically this dish chicken piccata. Lemon is so zesty, refreshing and tart that makes me think of a sunny breezy summer day, which unfortunately is not very common in Hong Kong. I asked hubby what cupcake he liked to try next and he said lemon cupcake. Cool! How come I never thought about it before? With autumn approaching real soon, I grab this chance to make these delicious lemon cupcakes with creamy lemon curd filling and pillowy lemon cream cheese frosting. 

First time I used a mix of plain flour and cake flour together. The cake came out much softer and fluffy, almost a bit too soft but it got denser after storing in fridge. For the lemon curd, it was very tangy and lemony but it was too thick and hard with the medium high heat cooking suggested in the recipe. Maybe I should try cooking it in a bowl on top of simmering water next time. Frosting is so velvety and smooth. The frosting didn't stand very well coz it was quite soft and the lemon zest blocked my nozzle when I piped. Overall, it was lovely and satisfied my crave for fresh lemony cake.

Make 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cake flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature

For the lemon curd filling:
4 egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
70g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

For the frosting: (half of the recipe should be enough to pipe 12 cupcakes coz i had so much leftover)
8 oz. cream cheese
70g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon
Additional fresh lemon slice, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175˚ C. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. 
2. In a medium bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice.
4. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the lemon curd, Combine everything but the butter in a sauce pan and whisk together. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides of the pan often until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 8 - 10 minutes. 
7. Remove pan from heat and add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring until incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the lemon curd and cover with a lid. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
8. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. 
9. Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
10. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.

Cake and frosting recipe adapted from lemon blueberry cupcakes

Lemon curd recipe from martha stewart