Lemon Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup white sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk

Filling- Lemon curd

3 large eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)

3/4 cup white sugar

4 tbs unsalted butter, room temp, cut into small slices

Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs white sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With mixer, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing thoroughly in between each one. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla extract. In a seperate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk until blended. Line cupcake pan with paper liners, and fill 2/3 full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

For the lemon curd, creat a double boiler by placing a bowl over a pan of simmering water. In the bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended. Stir constantly over heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter is completely melted. Over the curd with a piece of saran wrap (to avoid a skin forming) and put in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes or more.

Once the lemon curd is cooled the cupcakes are ready to be filled. I used a paring knife to cut out an inch long cone out of the top of the cupcake. I filled the hole with the lemon curd, cut the "pointy" end of the cone off, and replaced the top of the cupcake!

For the frosting, combine the whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar into a bowl and mix. Then place the bowl and the whisk (or bandles of the electric beater) in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When sufficently cooled, remove bowl and beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Add food coloring if you'd like and decorate your cupcakes!

If you don't eat your cupcakes immediately (like I did...) store them in the fridge so the whipped cream frosting doesnt melt and the lemon curd stays fresh! Believe it or not I thought these were even better the day AFTER I baked them! Some thing about them being in the fridge overnight and cooled all the way through was just great! I love the whipped cream frosting on this... cupcakes with such a refreshing flavor as lemon should have a light frosting to go with them, and this was PERFECT! I will definitely make these again, and am already getting requests! Sorry about not adding the pictures to each of the steps, but these cupcakes were an intense labor of love! Happy baking!