Lemon Filled Cupcakes

 

I knew I just had to do some kind of Lemon cupcake for June, since June is when Father's Day is and my dad loved anything lemon. I considered several options then I remembered a cake that I used to make that he loved so I went about converting it to cupcake form. I know he would approve of these.

The cake came about by chance one day when I was still in high school. We were going to have company later that day and my mom had some errands to run. She asked me to bake a cake for dessert. I started out by making the same basic cake that both my mom and I made all the time but I wanted to dress it up a bit. As I looked through the very old cookbook that I still love I found a recipe for a lemon filling. It just happened that we had all the ingredients to I decided to give it a try. Now my mom was not especially happy that I decided to experiment on a dessert that was being served to company but by the time she got home it was too late to change it. As it happened the cake was a great success and everyone loved it.

My dad really loved the cake so I made it many times for him over the years. So when I was planning for the June cupcake I knew I had to play around with that recipe.

For the cupcake base I am using a portion of a yellow cake mix since the cake I used to make dad was just a basic yellow cake. If you haven't checked out my blog post on dividing a box of cake mix you can find it here. It is super simple and allows us to make a small batch of cupcakes instead of the huge batch.

I am using my adaptation of my favorite buttercream frosting. I have used it before on this blog and it always turns out wonderfully.

Then I needed to scale down the filling and incorporate it into the cupcake. This is a very basic filling and I scaled down beautifully. I got just a bit more than fit into the 6 cupcakes I baked. To make a spot to put the filling I simply used a sharp paring knife to cut out a small “plug” of cake from the top of each cupcake. Make an area just big enough to fill but not so big your cupcake leaks. Hopefully the photo will give you an idea of the correct amount.

Then it was just a matter of putting the filling into a disposable decorating bag (like the ones you use to pipe frosting) cut off the tip of the bag and fill the cupcakes. 

Carefully spread the frosting over the top of the cupcake covering the top of the filling.

I sprinkled mine with some yellow decorators sugar but that is totally optional.

Now if you have any filling leftover and you happen to have some Vanilla Wafer cookies on hand this is a combination that is so good. Just use the filling as a dip for the Vanilla Wafers, so good and so easy.

Click here for a downloadable/printable copy of the recipe.

Lemon Filled Cupcakes

Cupcake layer-

⅓ of a box of yellow cake mix

⅓ cup water

1 egg

3 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Start by preheating your oven to the temperature your box of cake mix calls for, mine was 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners or grease really well.

Combine the water, egg, oil and vanilla in a mixing bowl and combine well.

Add the cake mix and beat for up to 90 seconds.

Portion into cupcake pan and bake according to instructions on your cake mix. Mine was baked at 350°F for about 20 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut a hole in the top of each cupcake and remove enough of the cake to make a small pocket for the filling. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before you start this step.

Lemon Filling

6 Tablespoons sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons Cornstarch

6 Tablespoons water

3 Tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is fine)

1 Tablespoon butter

-optional yellow food coloring

Put all ingredients (except the food coloring) into a small saucepan. Heat over medium to medium high heat to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute remove from heat. 

 

 

 

 

Stir in just a touch of yellow food coloring if desired. 

 

 

 

 

Place in a small dish and cover with a plastic wrap covering surface (the plastic wrap pushed against the surface prevents a skin from forming). Chill completely before using to fill cupcakes.

Frosting

1 ½ cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

2 ½ Tablespoons shortening or butter

2 Tablespoons half and half

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a mixer blend together the powdered sugar and shortening until well combined. Add the half and half along with the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

 

Spread or pipe frosting on cupcakes.