Lemon Dreams

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

Lemon Cream Frosting (Recipe Below)

Lemon Cream Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter

¼ cup lemon curd (Recipe Below)

6 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Allow cream cheese and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, butter, and lemon curd. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Gradually add 3 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in the 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in enough additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting spreading consistency.

Lemon Curd:

3 lemons

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ pound unsalted butter, room temperature

4 extra large eggs

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Zest three lemons.  Put the lemon zest and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the zest is very finely minced with the sugar.  Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt.  Mix until combined.  Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly.  The lemon curd will start to thicken at just below a simmer.  When thick enough that the curd sticks to a wooden spoon, remove from the heat and let cool.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line twenty to twenty-four muffin cups with paper bake cups or lightly coat with nonstick spray for baking; set aside.  In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  Stir in lemon peel.  Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove cupcakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Prepare Lemon Cream Frosting; set aside.  Spoon lemon curd into a decorating bag fitted with a large round or open star tip.  Push tip into the top of each cupcake and force some of the lemon curd inside cake.  Generously pipe or spread the frosting onto tops of cupcakes.  If desired, sprinkle cupcakes with more lemon zest.