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22 Feb 2010 Lemon Curd Cupcakes Three Ways
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Now that I have everyone making the easy microwave Lemon Curd, it’s time to put it to good use!  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.  I made Martha Stewart’s Lemon Cupcakes from her book “Cupcakes” (page 121).  Abby took 18 to college with her. I took 6 to a quilt group.  And there are still 12 here.  (Hint number one, make  half the recipe!) I think the squirt of lemon in the middle of the cupcake was a lot of fun.  Loved the frosting, too.  The cupcake was a bit dense, but a nice foil for the soft lemony center and sweet creamy top.  I’ll make these again next time I have a batch of lemon curd on hand.

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

3 1/2 cups flour
2 T lemon zest (or a bit more, if you like a really lemony cupcake)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
7 eggs, at room temperature
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (Martha only used 2)
1 tsp. vanilla
approx. 1 cup lemon curd
powdered sugar or buttercream frosting (recipe below)
toasted coconut, optional
yellow decorating sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  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).  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt and set aside.  With an electric mixer beat softened butter for two minutes.  Add in sugar and beat for 3 minutes more. Beat in cream cheese.  Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in lemon juice an vanilla.  Add in flour mixture, beating until just combined.  Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 28 to 30 minutes.  Cool cupcakes in tins on a rack.  When completely cool, fill and frost.

Place lemon curd in a Ziploc bag.  Squeeze curd to the corner of the bag, and cut off about 1/8th inch of the plastic corner to make a “filling bag”. With a knife, cut a small cylinder from the middle of each cupcake. Remove and discard the excess cake.  Fill the hole in the cupcake with lemon curd from the Ziploc bag.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with buttercream frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

With an electric mixer beat butter for two minutes.  Add in powdered sugar and beat for another three minutes.  Raise speed to high and beat for another two minutes or so. Beat in vanilla.

Spread frosting on desired number of cupcakes.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut or colored sugar if desired.

My favorite is the one with the buttercream frosting and toasted coconut.  What’s yours?

15 Feb 2010 Hot Chocolate Lava Cakes
Author:  |  Category: Cakes & Cupcakes, Sweets  | Tags: , , , , , , ,  | One Comment

Look what my daughter Abby made for us for Valentine’s Day! She printed off three recipes, tried two of them and here’s the best. The cakes are easier to make than they look, and they can be mixed up a day or two ahead. How convenient is that? Thirty minutes before dessert, pop the desired number of cakes in a preheated oven and they’ll be ready after dinner! The hardest part of making these cakes is getting the baking time just right. One minute too few, and the cake won’t unmold properly, one minute too many and the center firms up. But follow the baking tip in the recipe and all should be OK. Oh, the other hardest part, finding the right sized ramekins, but having baked a dozen or more of these, it really doesn’t matter. Use any size you think works for a single serving or a shared serving, and just adjust the baking time by watching for the small dome top.

Hot Chocolate Lava Cakes

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (the better the chocolate, the better the cake)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 oz. butter
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla

Generously grease ramekins with softened butter (Abby used eight 5 oz. ramekins). In the top of a double boiler combine both chopped chocolates and the butter. Over simmering water stir frequently until melted and combined. In another bowl stir together the cornstarch and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Add in the whole eggs and the egg yolks plus the vanilla and whisk until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours and up to three days. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. As the cakes bake, the edges will rise. As soon as the dimple in the center of each cake puffs up and sets, they’re ready. Leave the cakes in the oven any longer, and the centers will bake through and no longer be molten. Bake the cakes for 24 to 26 minutes or until the center top “domes” and middle is just set.

Remove ramekins from oven and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. To unmold, place a dessert plate on top of the ramekin and another plate under the ramekin. Using hot pads, invert the ramekin onto the dessert plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with or without a dollop of whipped cream or ice-cream and a few fresh raspberries. Makes approx 8 servings.

This recipe was found at Hungry Cravings.

Thanks for stopping by the kitchen today.  (Isn’t Abby the greatest?!)

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