Vanilla Bean Lemon Curd Cupcakes
Lemon Curd
(Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes)
1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
5 ounces unsalted butter,
chilled and cut into small pieces
Prepare and ice-water bath. Set a medium bowl in ice-water bath and set aside.
Place sugar and lemon zest in a mortar and grind with a pestle to combine and release the oils. Transfer sugar mixture to a medium heatproof bowl along with eggs and egg yolks; whisk to combine.
Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice and continue whisking until mixture is thick and reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add butter and whisk until well combined.
Strain lemon mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over prepared bowl. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap, pressing plastic wrap directly onto surface. Transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup whipping cream at room temperature
Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper liners. Alternatively, coat the wells with butter; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until very light in color, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla seeds (if you’re using vanilla extract instead, you’ll add it later), and continue beating until mixture is airy, about 3 minutes.
Scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer to medium speed, and add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add milk (and vanilla extract, if you’re using it in place of seeds), and mix until combined (the mixture will look curdled, but it’s not). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined, about 15 seconds.
Fill the muffin wells about halfway, and bake cupcakes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Set the pans on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting and filling with lemon curd.
Remove small piece of center of cupcake with apple corer. Fill with small amount of lemon curd (put lemon curd in plastic condiment bottle for easy filling)
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
2 cups unsalted butter, softened, cut into pieces
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup whole milk or whipping cream
Beat butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, until combined. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla. Slowly add milk or cream and beat until creamy – about 5 minutes.
Frost cupcakes, dip in sanding sugar, and top with raspberry if desired.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA