I love to cook with lemon in the summertime. It is such a versatile ingredient–it works great in both sweet and savory dishes. Plus it is one of both my mom and my husband’s favorite flavors. 😉
I made these cupcakes the first time about a year ago. I came across this three-layer cake recipe on Pinterest and really wanted to try it, but I needed cupcakes for a picnic. Since I love filled cupcakes, the recipe for the cake and the filling worked well with some minor tweaks, although I did use a different icing.
The cupcakes were quite a hit, and I have made them several times since. Every time, I get requests for the recipe. They are such fun to make, I just had to share!
Lemon Drop Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup oil
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sour cream
For the Lemon Filling
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
For the Icing
- 1 8-oz. package of cream cheese
- 4 Tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)
- 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 2 Tsp. Lemon Zest
- 2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place liners in cupcake trays for about 24 cupcakes.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add eggs, oil and lemon juice. Beat until smooth.
- Add sour cream and beat until smooth.
- Bake about 20 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown and a tester comes out clean.
- Remove from trays. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a rack
For the Lemon Filling
- Combine all ingredients in a double boiler or a bowl sitting atop a saucepan of simmering water.
- Heat while stirring constantly with a whisk until it is think enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Chill. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
For the Icing
- Beat first five ingredients until fluffy.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
For the Icing
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a long tip with the lemon filling.
- Insert tip into the center of each cupcake and squeeze in about a tablespoon of filling. (I fill until it starts to come out the top.)
- Once all cupcakes are filled, pipe icing onto each cupcake.
- Refrigerate until serving. These are best if made the day before serving.
They were a great compliment to these strawberry shortcake cupcakes I found on Pinterest. Like the lemon cupcakes, I did switch out the icing on these, replacing it with a standard cream cheese icing (my favorite). Yum!
Two of my favorite cupcakes–lemon filled and strawberry shortcake!
Do you have a favorite flavor of summer? Do you prefer cupcakes or full cakes–or something else entirely? Do you have any great must-try recipes for summer? Please share! 🙂