I should have toasted the coconut above, but if you are making all white cupcakes for a wedding or something, this works 🙂 Decorations were made by piping melted white chocolate onto parchment paper, letting them set to dry, then, carefully-very-carefully removing and nestling them into the frosting. More decoration ideas below—one with toasted coconut!

Now that I have everyone making the easy Microwave Lemon Curd, it’s time to put it to good use!  You can also buy a jar from Trader Joe’s, though, theirs is a really good one.

I am not a huge fan of Martha, but sometimes she shows up in the right place at the right time with the right recipe, like she did this morning. These are Martha Stewart’s Lemon Cupcakes from her book Cupcakes. 

Abby took 18 to college with her. I took 6 to a quilt group—there are still 12 here. Hint, hint—make half the recipe!

I think the squirt of lemon curd in the middle of the cupcake is a lot of fun, and Martha’s buttercream frosting is good, too. The cupcake is a bit dense, but a nice foil for the soft lemony center and sweet creamy top! 

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd

• 3½ cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest OR a bit more, if you like a really lemony cupcake
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1¾ cups butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 7 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice—Martha only used 2
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Approximately 1 cup lemon curd
• Powdered sugar or buttercream frosting—recipe below)
• Toasted coconut, optional
• Yellow decorating sugar, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°. 
2. Line 36-42 cupcake tins with paper liners—Martha stated she made 42 cupcakes out of this batter, I was only able to make 36. 
3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt and set aside. 
4. With an electric mixer, beat softened butter for two minutes, then add in sugar and beat for 3 minutes more.
5. Beat in cream cheese. 
6. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
7. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. 
8. Add in flour mixture, beating until just combined. 
9. Bake in preheated 325° oven for 28-30 minutes. 
10. Cool cupcakes in tins on a rack.  When completely cool, fill and frost.

1. Place lemon curd in a Ziploc bag. 
2. Squeeze curd to one corner of the bag, and cut off about an eighth of an inch of the c corner to make a filling bag.
3. With a knife, cut a small cylinder from the middle of each cupcake, and remove/discard the excess cake. 
4. Fill the hole in the cupcake with lemon curd from the Ziploc bag. 
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with buttercream frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter for two minutes. 
2. Add in powdered sugar and beat for another three minutes. 
3. Raise speed to high and beat for another two minutes or so.
4. Beat in vanilla.
5. Spread frosting on desired number of cupcakes. 
6. Sprinkle with toasted coconut or colored sugar, if desired.

My favorite is the one with the lemon curd filling, buttercream frosting, toasted coconut, and white chocolate decoration! Thanks for stopping by!