Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling

May 28, 2017

These Blueberry Cupcakes are filled with delectable Lemon Curd Filling.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, and using a mixer at medium-high speed, beat shortening, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk to shortening mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. In a small bowl, combine blueberries and all-purpose flour, stirring to coat. Fold blueberries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted near centers comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Remove approximately 1 tablespoon cake* from center of each cupcake. Fill with Lemon Curd Filling.
Pipe Brown Sugar–Meringue Icing onto cupcakes. Using a culinary torch held approximately 6 inches from cupcake, lightly brown icing, if desired. Cupcakes can be stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

*For testing purposes, our test kitchen used an apple corer to remove cake from center of each cupcake.

Lemon Curd Filling

Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, lemon zest, eggs, egg yolk, lemon juice, reserved vanilla seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove from heat; add butter. Strain mixture, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight, before using. Lemon curd can be stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Brown Sugar–Meringue Icing

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients

Instructions

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and salt. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, being careful not to let bottom of bowl touch water. Whisk constantly, until mixture registers 140° on an instant-read thermometer.
Transfer bowl to mixer, and beat on high speed until tripled in volume and glossy, about 10 minutes. Place mixture in a pastry bag, and use immediately.

For more recipes featuring blueberries, see “Blueberry Bliss” on page 31 of the May/June 2013 issue of Victoria.