Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Here is my favourite cupcake recipe of all time: The sponge is light, with a subtle lemony flavour, and doesn't get really dry for about 3 days, paired with an intensely lemon pastel yellow icing , then sprinkled with pastel coloured balls. A perfect spring treat.

I discovered this recipe, when i wanted to use up the lemon curd, i had made(recipe here), and it was instantly my favourite cupcake recipe ever. The lemon curd gives it a subtle lemon sponge, which is perfect as the one thing i hate about commercial cupcakes, is that they don't taste of much.

To make the lemon icing extra lemony, i add lemon curd to the icing as well as lemon juice(about a tablespoon). I found these pastel coloured balls in tkmaxx, and if you look hard, I'm sure find something similar, but if you are too impatient to wait for a good bargain then i have found some similar here.

To make the sponge extra lemony, you could add lemon extract, and extra lemon rind. If you only want a tad more lemon then spread the top, or inject the cupcake with more lemon curd, before topping with icing.For an alternative decoration; scoop out a circle, then fill with whipped cream, cut the circle in half, place like butterflies wings then put a small dollop of lemon curd, down the centre.

Ingedients

175g butter, softened
1/2 cup of caster sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup lemon curd
2 cups self-rasing flour
1/4 cup milk

1. preheat oven to 190°c 
2. beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
3. add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. stir in the lemon curd
5. fold in the flour alternatively with the milk
6. pop into pre-cased 12 cupcake tin
7. bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins until well risen and golden
8. transfer to rack to cool
9. when cool, ice with lemon butter icing

lemon butter icing

100g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
lemon juice 

1. beat butter until pale and fluffy
2. sift the icing sugar 
3. beat the icing sugar into the butter, add lemon juice until you reached your desired consistency.

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