Foodporn Friday: Lemony cupcakes
Last weekend we took a trip out to the Clevedon Market where we gorged on all sorts of fantastic food (including some outstanding Macarons). We also came home with a large jar of lemon curd. It seemed like a waste to use it up on boring old toast so instead I made up some vanilla cupcakes which I cored and filled with a generous dollop of the lemon curd and then frosted with some lemony cream cheese frosting.
They’re exactly what I was after!
I bake every week, usually only one thing but sometimes more and the leftovers get taken in to work and shared with colleagues. One colleague remarked not too long ago that all the baking must get expensive and it got me thinking… it would be interesting to see what each recipe costs. So I am going to try work a few of them out – more out of interest than anything else. Prices will be in New Zealand dollars at the time I baked/checked so don’t hold me to them 
Conversion calculator here
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
Recipe by Glorious Treats
Yields 30 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups cake flour ($0.96)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ($0.09)
1 teaspoon baking soda ($0.05)
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs ($4.35 – free range)
1 1/2 cups sugar ($0.61)
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ($0.50)
1 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil) ($0.79)
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice) ($1.50)
Directions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat.
Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl.
The batter will be thin. Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.
Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-16 minutes.
Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan (carefully) and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Lemon Curd
Buy a jar. Or, make your own using this recipe here. ($6)
Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting
250gr Cream Cheese ($3.29)
50gr Butter ($0.34)
Zest from 1 lemon ($0.79)
Juice of half a lemon
Icing sugar ($1.40)
Beat the cream cheese & butter till creamy. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Add icing sugar until it reaches the consistency you prefer – I used 4 cups icing sugar.
Once cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut a circular core out of each cupcake. Put a teaspoon of lemon curd into each cupcake, level off the cored piece and replace. Then use a piping bag to frost with the lemony cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!
Total cost: $19.27 (or 64 cents each)
These sound amazing, now we need refrigerated flat rate shipping boxes
I’ll make them for you at Christmas… you better be prepared to pick up 5kgs when you visit
I have a jar of lime curd in my freezer which bugs me each and every time I open the darn thing up! Now THIS I am going to try…. and sommer this week-end too!
Let me know how it goes! Lime curd would be divine!