Lemon Curd Cupcakes
Updated March 26, 2019
Lemon Curd Cupcakes-lemon cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting and filled with lemon curd. Lemon lovers will go crazy for these delightful cupcakes!
On Friday, I shared my favorite recipe for Lemon Curd. It is good eaten right out of the jar, but it is also great for creating desserts, like these Lemon Curd Cupcakes. I put a little lemon curd inside of a lemon cupcake and the combo is lemonicious! There is lots of lemon going on and that is just how I like it! These cupcakes are bursting with lemon and that is a very good thing.
I donโt bake cupcakes very often because I am a cookie girl at heart, but after tasting these cupcakes, I think I need to bake cupcakes more often. They are amazing! I could get used to this cupcake thing.
I baked up a basic lemon cupcake and when they came out of the oven I cut a little piece out of the center and filled the cupcakes with lemon curd.
I piped buttercream frosting on top of the cupcakes and added yellow sprinkles. You donโt have to add sprinkles, but they are super cute and give the cupcakes a little burst of sunshine! Plus, Caleb is all about the sprinkles. They are his favorite. Maybe I should try putting sprinkles on his vegetables:)
The cupcakes were almost too pretty to eat, but we did! Oh, we did! We ate them ALL. Ok, we shared with friends, but they didnโt last long. Everyone was dying over these cute cuppy cakes!
And I loved watching everyoneโs reaction when they found the lemon curd in the center. Good, just got better! The hidden lemon curd inside was a very pleasant surprise! Double the lemon, double the YUM!
If you are looking for a fun and delicious recipe for spring, you have to make Lemon Curd Cupcakes. They are sure to brighten your dayโฆand anyoneโs day you decide to share them with. I am going to make a batch for Easter! They are the perfect spring cupcake!
Lemon Curd Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Lemon Curd
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- Yellow sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan (12 cups) with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar mixture together until light and fluffy and lightened in color. This will take about 8 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the eggs one at at time, beating after each addition. Add in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until flour is just incorporated. Don't overmix. Mix in the lemon juice.
- Divide batter evenly in prepared cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. With the mixer on low, add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until all of the powdered sugar is added. Beat in the milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Beat until smooth.
- To fill the cupcakes, using a knife, cut out a small hole in the center of the cupcake, about the size of a dime. Carefully remove the center piece and set aside. Fill each hole with about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd. Push the top of the cupcake piece you removed over the hole to cover up the lemon curd. A little lemon curd might squirt out and that is ok. Just wipe it off. You can leave the lemon curd showing if you wish and just eat the scraps. You will cover the hole with frosting. It works both ways.
- Place the frosting in a pastry bag and frost. I used the 1M Wilton tip. Decorate with yellow sprinkles, if desired. Serve!
- Note-Frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature and beat briefly before using. The lemon curd can be made up to two weeks in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can store the finished cupcakes in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Let the cupcakes come to room temperature before serving. They are best the day they are made.
Have you tried this recipe?
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I donโt often make cupcakes either. We have a cupcake shop in CT that I prefer to go to as it has the most amazing flavors and I love the atmosphere of the store front. I may have to make an exception for these though. Lemon cupcakes are a dream!
You sure know how to present a cupcake! When devouring a lemon dessert, I always manage to convince myself itโs healthy. Love that eye popping yellow.
They are too pretty to eat. Heck, never mind. I canโt resist.
Theyโre the perfect welcome for the spring Iโve been longing for! Have a great week.
Lemon is such a perfect spring flavor, and you can never go wrong with cupcakes! Love this recipe, Maria. Plus, your bright photos just make me happy! ๐
Oh YUM! So perfect for upcoming spring and easter. Thank you for sharing!!
Happy little cupcakes! These look gorgeous!
Perfect Spring flavor!!
These just make me so excited for spring! Love the lemon curd filling!
The layers of lemon in these sound so good. Just what I need to match the sunshine that is finally outside!
These cupcakes are so pretty! I am obsessed with lemon curd and can just sit and eat it with a spoon, so I know these will be fantastic!
I love lemon curd!! The perfect addition to these cupcakes!
I am officially declaring it spring with these beauties!!
This is so lemoniscious!
So pretty, Maria!! Canโt go wrong with lemon curd!
I love making lemon curd and eating it straight from a spoon. Iโve spread it on to make a cake roll but never filled it into a cupcake. Great idea. Thank you for sharing. They will be perfect for spring and Easter!
Love that lemon!!!
I LOVE making my own citrus curd โ from lemon to lime to blood orange. We made some with Kaffir limes this winter and it was divine. Thanks for sharing!
These Scream SPRING!
I love the surprise in the center! What a lovely bite of sunshine!!!
This looks so good. I would love to try it. Perfect treat.
everything about these says SPRING!!!! love it!
Iโm a lemon lover and I am going crazy for these right now!!!
Too pretty to eat for sure! These cupcakes just scream SPRING!
I, too, am a cookie girl at heart. But give me lemon curd cupcakes and Iโm a temporary lemon girl. Like, my mom and I have been known to eat lemon curd out of the jar. #noshame
Oh how I love lemonsโฆand lemon curd! These say Spring is Here! Yummy!
These are so pretty! Love the curd inside โ what a yummy treat! ๐
These cupcakes are beyond amazing! So pretty!!!
these look so pretty and tasty. job well done!
These look so bright and cheery, not to mention delicious!!!
i have a much easier way of making them โ a lot less fussy then cutting tiny holes out of the middle. same lemon receipe BUT fill the cake mold half with mix, add a suitable dollop of curd and top with more mix. I end up with beautifully sticky cup cakes put less curd for less sticky!!
What a wonderful idea. Iโll do that rather than cutting holes.
These are absolutely decadent. I brought them to work and received many thanks and wishes for more! I used Martha Stewartโs 1995 recipe for the lemon curd. Thank you very much for a fantastic cupcake recipe. I am making them again now!
Glad you liked the cupcakes!
Hello, is this frosting stiff enough to pipe flowers with? Thank you!
Yes, you should be able to.
Hey, I was wondering if I could use Lemon Curd spread for this recipe?
can you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour for the cupcakes?
What size scoop to fill 2/3 full. How deep is the hole not the width which is small. Information like this helps in baking & helps the people look at your recipes. We shouldnโt have experiment with your recipe.
These were fantastic!
I made these for my daughterโs birthday because she wanted โlemon all the wayโ cupcakes. They were a hit! Really good, with a good balance of sweet and tart. Would 100% make them again!
So glad they were loved! Happy birthday to your daughter.
I love this recipe! Itโs always a hit at our house. Can you make this into a cake (maybe split a 9โณ round pan and fill it with the curd?) easily?
I havenโt tried it, but that should be fine.