Baking Mondays - L is for Lemon Cupcakes

Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon swiss meringue buttercream.

This week lemon won the polls, secretly I was hoping for lamington, but it wasn't to be. So I decided to test out the recipe for lemon cake in Confetti Cakes for Kids. I had high hopes for this cake and was looking forward to using my new oven, so without further ado I present you with my lemon cupcake baking experience...

Lemon Cake from Confetti Cake for Kids
Makes 24 cupcakes (I got 35 out of it!)

First the ingredients...

8 ounces cake flour, sifted (if you don't have cake flour, use 2 cups of plain flour, remove 4 tbsps of the flour and replace with corn flour)
9 ounces plain flour, sifted
2 1/4 tsp baking powder, sifted
8 ounces unsalted butter
21 ounces caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (I would put more in next time)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
8 ounces egg whites (about 7 eggs)
12 ounces milk

First preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and line 2 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake liners.


First step is to cream the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment in a stand mixer. Beat on medium until light and fluffy.


Next add the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add the egg whites, scraping often. Alternately add the flours and baking powder and milk to the butter mixture in two batches, starting with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl between additions and beat until thoroughly combined. Set the mixer to medium-high speed for about 20 seconds.


Divide the batter among your lined muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (I did 20 minutes and it was a bit too long).


Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make your,

Lemon swiss meringue buttercream.

400g caster sugar
6 egg whites
375g unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp lemon curd


Combine the sugar and egg whites in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until egg whites are hot - you should be able to rub the mixture between your fingers and not feel any sugar granules.


Next with the whisk attachment whip your egg white mixture for about 8 minutes on high speed. Then change to a paddle attachment and with the mixer on low speed add small amounts of butter to the mix until all the butter is added. Beat the mixture on medium speed until the frosting thickens (you will know when this happens when you here a slapping sound coming from the mixing bowl). Add the lemon juice and lemon curd and beat to combine.


Now cut a well out of each cupcake and fill with lemon curd - for me a 350g jar was enough for the swiss meringue buttercream and to fill 35 cupcakes.


Finally frost each of the cupcakes - and then stand back and marvel at the lemony goodness that are the cupcakes that you just created.


So the ratings?

Me - 8/10, the cake could do with some more lemon zest, I loved the curd filling and I loooovved the lemon swiss meringue buttercream. Also I baked the cupcakes a little too long so they were a tiny bit dry - still getting used to the new oven :)

Mat - 7/10, lamingtons should of won (he said this while giggling)


If you made it this far don't forget to enter the giveaway!