Last fall I tried a recipe for lemon curd ice cream that had come highly recommended by a few of my blogging buddies. It blew me away and probably ranks among the top 5 things I’ve ever made in my kitchen! It also started my obsession with all things lemon. I don’t recall being a huge fan of lemon desserts prior to that ice cream, but since then, almost any recipe that incorporates this wonderful citrus flavor goes directly onto my “to-make” list. I can’t walk by lemons in the grocery store without thinking I should buy 3 or 4 just in case, even if I’ve already got several in the fridge at home. My favorite candle is Yankee Candle’s lemon zest, which sadly has been discontinued, and lemon-scented hand soap has a permanent spot beside my kitchen sink. If my yard wasn’t a frozen tundra 4 – 5 months of the year I’d probably try to talk Shane into planting a lemon tree 🙂
So, suffice it to say that this month’s selection for the Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club – lemon meringue cupcakes – thrilled me! A big thank you to Megan of My Baking Adventures for selecting this recipe and hosting this month.
The cupcakes have several components – a yellow cake base which is topped with lemon curd and then finished with a meringue frosting. I made 1/4 of the cupcake recipe, which yielded 6 cupcakes. I wanted to make the entire lemon curd recipe but I didn’t have enough eggs in the house (it calls for 8 yolks!) so I went with half of the recipe. The lemon curd was made in a double boiler, a technique I really enjoyed as it lessened some of the stress over scrambling the eggs for me. It took almost 15 minutes for the mixture to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon but it turned out perfectly. It’s probably for the best that I only made half of the lemon curd recipe as it was dangerously good!! Give me a bowl of this lemon curd and a spoon and I’d be a happy girl. The recipe only called for topping the cupcakes with a bit of the lemon curd, but I wound up scooping out a little cone from the top of each cupcake to fill with the curd. It was definitely a case of more of a good thing is an even better thing. I skipped the meringue topping because I would have had to scale the recipe way back and it was just easier to make whipped cream. Besides, whipped cream is more tasty in my opinion.
Between the delicious lemon curd and the whipped cream, a huge weakness of mine, the cake part of this recipe sort of got overshadowed for me. The cupcakes were very moist with a tight crumb and they baked up nicely. I did try the cake by itself (I ate the cones I cut from the tops of them) and it was good, but definitely not the star of the show. The thing I’m most excited about is that I get to use the leftover lemon curd to make ice cream again – I can’t wait!! Thanks again Megan for your selection this week! You can find the recipe for these cupcakes on page 142 of Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes Book.
These look amazing! They look exactly like the ones in the book!
Looking lovely, wow, especially like that you picked orange-yellow cupcakes wraps. They look amazing!
I’m so glad to hear the lemon curd was good! I ran out of time (thanks to not reading the lemon curd recipe ahead of time), and had to skip it, but I swore to my husband that I would indeed make these again next weekend, with the lemon curd. And perhaps with whipped cream rather than seven-minute frosting! You sold me! And as always, your cupcakes turned out so beautiful!
So pretty! That curd looks gorgeous!
Tracey, your cupcakes always look so awesome! I love lemon and will give these a try 🙂
I agree…the lemon curd was to die for! I skipped the meringue but wished I had thought of the whipped cream as your cupcakes look gorgeous.
those look and sound SO GOOD. you couldn’t have picked cuter cupcake wrapped to go on those little cupcakes! good idea with the whipped topping – sounds like a winner to me!
Yours are picture perfect and gorgeous!
Those are so pretty — especially with the yellow wrappers. I agree that the lemon curd was delicious, but I also enjoyed the cake plain. Thanks for the lemon curd ice cream suggestion. That is going on my to-do list.
look at that color! they look amazing!
I know what you mean about suddenly becoming lemon-obsessed. My husband goes through a lemon phase every year – I give it another month before he starts up again 🙂 Seriously, though, I like what you’ve done with these cupcakes. I’m completely with you on the whipped cream!
These are seriously good looking cupcakes. The look perfect!
Your cupcakes look beautiful! Love your liners too! I totally agree with you – the lemon curd was definitely the star of these cupcakes! It was amazing!!
Cute cupcakes. The whipped cream frosting sounds delicious. I love lemons too.
Great looking cupcakes. I love all thing lemon, so I planted a second lemon tree this year.
Mimi
I love how bright and cheery these are!
Yum! I love lemon, too, and those sound absolutely delicious. Definitely a good call to make room for more lemon curd inside the cupcakes. =)
Oh!! I like the whipped cream topping. Ya know – you could add lemon to that too…. Just Saying.
But they are beautiful.
I also scooped so I could add more curd.
Those are gorgeous! Love the colors. They scream spring!
We used the same wrappers!!! How cool is that?!?!? But of course, your photos are better than mine. Awesome photos!
These are making me pucker with joyous delight. They are beautiful!
I think scooping part of the cupcake out was very clever. More lemon curd can only make things better!
Every time you make a recipe from this book I want to make it! I love lemon curd and would have done exactly the same thing! I just made lemon bars this morning and had to run water in all of the bowls, etc. or I would have licked them clean.
Beautiful!! Oh and thanks so much for relinking the lemon curd ice cream! I WILL be giving this a go for the summertime bbq parties!! cheers!
I’m with you – any excuse to make lemon curd. I posted my preferred recipe today. (Less eggs.) Now I’ll have to make more to try that ice cream recipe.
Well done!
Those cupcakes look and sound awesome. I love the wrappers.
I really like the idea of using whipped cream on these because then the curd is the definite star! Why didn’t I think of that 🙂 haha
They look great! I share your love of lemons; yesterday I took a whole bunch from Josh’s parents’ tree, not quite sure what I’d do with them and now I’m tempted by cupcakes.
Wasn’t that curd just addictive? I’m so glad it’s spring and lemon is now “in”! These look wonderful – I bought some of those liners and gave them to a friend as a gift (wish I kept some for myself)! Truly wonderful-looking cupcakes!
Your pictures are stunning! I love the cupcake liners. I like your idea of putting whipped cream on these, I may have to try that next time.
Whipped cream – what an idea. I also love this lemon curd.
These are beautiful, Tracey! I love that you filled them with the curd, too. I have so much leftover, it would have been a great idea. Also had tons of the frosting go to waste, so I should have done something else. Oh well, live and learn. Congrats on getting the curd right in only 15 minutes. I also want that chocolate dessert!! I am going to have to make that! YUMMMY!
wow! seriously amazing photos!!! i really love how those liners compliment the overall look of the cupcake SO well.
and i agree about the lemon thing- totally something worth getting obsessive about! if you ever get a chance, try the lemon raspberry cheesecake at cheesecake factory- TO DIE FOR!!
Congrats on Top 9! Those cupcakes look spectacular. I’m not a huge meringue fan myself, I like that you did whipped cream instead. That curd looks divine!
These cupcakes look beautiful dressed up in their citrus colored liners. I can’t wait to try your lemon curd ice cream recipe!!
They look absolutely lovely!
I love these cupcakes! They are absolutely beautiful… I love the gorgeous color of the lemon curd!
Beautiful cupcakes – especially with the sunny wrappers. I would love a lemon tree too – I’ve even been tempted to get one of those potted Meyer lemon trees for indoors – but I know I’d kill it. 🙂
Gorgeous cup cake…too good
I want to make these for my next Blog I love the way you put the icing on the bottom of the meringue… beautiful.
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