Moist Lemon Cupcakes

IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.

Ingredients

Eggless Lemon Curd

▢ ½ tbsp lemon zest - about 1/2 a medium sized lemon
▢ ⅓ cup (80 g) lemon juice - freshly squeezed, about 2 and 1/2 lemons
▢ ⅓ cup (66 g) white granulated sugar
▢ 1½ tbsp (10 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
▢ ⅓ cup (80 g) milk - full fat
▢ ¼ tsp vanilla essence/extract
▢ ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - cold
▢ 1 small drop of yellow gel food colour or pinch of turmeric - OPTIONAL

Cream Cheese Buttercream

▢ ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter - room temp
▢ 2¼ cups (285 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered/confectioners sugar
▢ ¾ cup (168 g) cream cheese - cold, firm type (see note 2)
▢ ¾ tsp vanilla essence/extract
▢ ¾ tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed

Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil, sugar and lemon zest. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 4), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Next add in Greek yoghurt and fresh lemon juice. Mix until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled at this stage but that's okay.
Lastly add in your premixed dry ingredients from earlier, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix. Your batter should no longer be curdled, and there should be no large chunks or streaks of flour. It's okay if the batter is a little lumpy in the end.
Distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake liners (fill no more than about 3/4s of the way up), and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. The cupcakes do ever so slightly sink in the middle while cooling , but once you fill and frost them you won't be able to tell. In my opinion, it's a necessary trade-off for the perfect texture :)

Eggless Lemon Curd

Add your lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, milk and vanilla to a saucepan and mix until well combined.
Place your saucepan over a medium heat and stir your mixture continuously until you reach a thick consistency (see video for visual).
Take your saucepan off the heat and stir in the cold unsalted butter until completely melted.
Strain your lemon curd to remove the little bits of lemon zest (optional).
Stir in gel colour or turmeric for additional colour (optional). Leave to completely cool.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

Cream your butter for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy. Either use a hand mixer or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Add in the icing sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of icing sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
Next add in your cold cream cheese, vanilla and fresh lemon juice. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 5).

Assembly

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, using the back of a large piping tip (you can also use an apple corer, a small serrated knife or small spoon), and poke it halfway through each cupcake, twist and then bring it back up (see video for demonstration). The middle of the cupcake should come out with the piping tip, leaving a hole in the centre for the lemon curd to go. Remove the part of the cupcake that's in the piping tip (you can use the back of a spoon or toothpick to push it out if it's stuck), and repeat the process with the remaining cupcakes.
Next fill the centre of the cupcakes with the lemon curd (see note 6). I just use a teaspoon to do this.
Next frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese buttercream. I pop mine into a piping bag with a 1M piping tip on it, and pipe cupcake swirls on the top. Make sure the lemon curd is completely cool before doing this.
OPTIONAL: Place any remaining lemon curd in a piping bag, and cut the tip of the piping bag so you have a small hole, and then pipe that in a zig-zag motion on the top of the cupcakes. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1. You can use cake flour in replacement of the all purpose flour and cornstarch in this recipe (161g total required).

Note 2. To ensure that your frosting isn't too soft, you want to use a firm cream cheese, not the spreadable type. You also want to use cold cream cheese as this will help your frosting stay firmer for longer, particularly if you want to use it for piping. If you stay in a hot climate and your frosting is softening up after some time, simply place it into the fridge for 30 minutes and then rewhip it. This will bring it back to a pipeable consistency.

Note 3. In this recipe I use an oven with the fan function turned on. The fan forced function cooks cakes/cupcakes faster, so if your oven doesn't have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C (347°F) so that the cake/cupcake bakes at the same rate as mine 🙂

Note 4. If using a stand mixer, then use the paddle attachment for the initial mixing, but continue to do the last step by hand as stated in the recipe.

Note 5. Only mix the frosting until it's smooth. Once it's smooth stop mixing as over-mixing can result in a less stable frosting. This is because of the liquid in the cream cheese breaking down the icing sugar.

Note 6. If your lemon curd has thickened up quite a bit, you can heat it for 5-10 second in the microwave and give it a stir.

Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.

Ingredients ½x1x2x

Lemon Cupcakes

Eggless Lemon Curd

Cream Cheese Buttercream

Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes

Eggless Lemon Curd

Cream Cheese Buttercream

Assembly

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Ingredients