Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling + Lemon Mascarpone Frosting

I’ve got another throwback recipe for you today, it is Thursday after all. It’s actually the third post I’ve ever shared on The Dreamery, and it’s been a favorite Spring menu item ever since.  

I first shared these cupcakes when I made them for the grand opening of a boutique floral and event company I had helped open and run a few years back. When I first created this recipe at the peak of Spring, I wanted a cupcake that would highlight the season’s freshest berries. A light fresh sweet treat, that would melt in your mouth. Lemon isn’t seasonal, but its tangy freshness always reminds me of Spring, and the lightness that returns to nature. When lemon combines with sweet ripened berries, the flavors resemble the brightness of Spring. 

You really can’t escape the lemon flavor. The cupcakes are baked with lemon extract and fresh zest, then generously filled with lemon curd. And you all know how much I just love lemon curd! And the silky smooth mascarpone frosting is infused with even more lemon, i mean look at all the lovely specks of zest. I’ve used both blueberries and raspberries in this recipe, but any berry of your liking would taste perfectly delicious, just make sure they are fresh.

It really is a great batch of cupcakes for Spring parties. No need to dye the frosting blue, since these were for an adorable baby shower, but the pale blue does look lovely against the yellow. As would the lightest and prettiest pink for a birthday or even Mother’s Day!

 

Raspberry Lemon Curd Cupcakes 

Ingredients {Makes 24 regular size Cupcakes or 60 Mini}

Lemon Berry Cake

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons – All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons – Baking Powder

1 teaspoon – Salt

3 cups – Fresh Raspberries {or any berry of your choice}

1/2 cup – Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup – Milk

2 teaspoons – Vanilla Extract

3/4 teaspoon – Pure Lemon Extract

1 teaspoon – Lemon Zest

1 cup {2 sticks} – Unsalted Butter {room temperature}

1 1/2 cups – Organic Cane Sugar

4 large–  Eggs

Lemon Curd Filling {Recipe from Martha Stewart}

8 large – Egg Yolks

Zest of 2 Lemons {finely grated}

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons – Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice {about 3 lemons}

1 cup – Granulated Sugar

1/2 teaspoon – Salt

1 1/4 stick – Unsalted Butter {cold + cut into pieces}

Lemon Mascarpone Frosting

1 pound – Mascarpone Cheese

2/3 cup – Lemon Curd Filling

2 cups – Heavy Cream

7 tablespoons – Granulated Sugar

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350*F & prepare cupcake tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture into a larger bowl, add the berries, and toss to coat.

In a small bowl, stir milk, yogurt, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest until just combined. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until pale yellow & fluffy {about 3 to 4 minutes}. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until well combined. Add in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture, and mix on low until just combined. Gently fold in the fresh berries and divide batter equally amongst cupcake liners. 

Bake until golden, rotating halfway, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean {about 20 minutes}. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack.

Once completely cooled, cut the center of each cupcake with enough space to fill with a teaspoon of curd {fill with a tablespoon of curd if making regular sized cupcakes}. Place the cut cake tops back on top of the filling and pipe with frosting using whichever style you would like. Finish with a fresh berry. 

For the Lemon Curd Filling, combine the yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon {about 8 to 10 minutes}.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the salt and butter one piece at a time until completely smooth. Strain mixture into a medium bowl & cover top with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled and set {at least 1 hour or overnight}. 

For the Lemon Mascarpone Frosting, add the mascarpone into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until completely smooth. Add the lemon curd and stir slowly until combined. In a separate bowl, of an electric mixer whisk the heavy cream until you get soft peaks. Gently fold the heavy cream into the mascarpone mixture, being careful not to over work it. Return the bowl back to the electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and whip until combined and stiff peaks form. If the frosting begins to separate and look grainy, add several tablespoons of heavy cream and mix with a spatula until smooth once again. Color the whipped the cream with food coloring if desired.