Table Talk » Lemon Cupcakes and More No-Knead Bread

Recently, I was discussing whoopie pies with some of my personal chef buddies. The discussion of whoopie pies reminded me of the filled chocolate cupcakes that my mom made because mom used her whoopie pie filling to fill the chocolate cupcakes. When I mentioned this, my friend Rachel said that her mom made lemon-filled lemon cupcakes. I love all things lemon and asked Rachel for her mom's recipe. I got my love of lemon from both my mom and dad, and decided to make these cupcakes for his 84th birthday celebration on Saturday. Rachel's mom filled her cupcakes with lemon pudding, but I decided to fill them with homemade lemon curd.

I'm much better at cooking than I am at baking, but the cupcakes came out beautifully. I even forgot to set the timer when I put them in the oven, but managed to cook them just the right amount of time. This summer, my friend Marcy did a cupcake demonstration for us and her presentation gave me the confidence to cook the cupcakes perfectly even though I had no idea how long they had been in the oven before I realized that I forgot the timer.

My mom always cut a cone out of the cupcakes, filled the hole with filling, then put the cone in the filling. My sister Marcia showed me how to cut the cones in half and set them in the filling so they look like butterflies. Her husband's family always makes their filled cupcakes this way and calls them butterfly cupcakes.

I've also been wanting to try the No-Knead Bread with a mixture of whole wheat and white flour, and decided to make bread for our family dinner. I made two loaves of bread, one 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and one all white flour. I used a small amount (1/3 cup) of semolina flour as part of the while flour in both loaves.

The slices on the left side of the plate have 50% whole wheat flour, the slices on the right side are white flour. With this bread, I also experimented with making two loaves. I was curious about what would happen if I cooked one loaf, then immediately cooked the second loaf. I have only one heavy dutch oven, so cooking them both at the same time is not an option. I mixed the dough's on Friday night and let them ferment for the same amount of time. The white flour loaf was left to rise an extra 45 minutes while the first loaf cooked. I didn't take time to reheat the pan or the cover. Maybe next time. My family loved both loaves. I've found a few recipes for a 100% whole wheat version of the No-Knead Bread, that will be my next bread experiment.

Now, on to the cupcakes...

The cupcakes were light and airy. Thanks to Petch (Rachel's mom) for sharing her recipe. The lemon curd came out very lemony, maybe a bit too lemony this time. You'll have about 1/3 cup of lemon curd left over after filling the cupcakes.

Petch's Lemon Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk and flavorings. Fill cupcake tins about 2/3 full.

Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool and cut small top off and fill with lemon filling. Place tops back on and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Lemon Curd
source: Cooking Light Five Star Recipes

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and lemon rind in a saucepan, and stir well to combine.

Gradually add water and lemon juice; stir with a wire whisk until blended.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Gradually stir 1/4th of hot lemon mixture into egg; add egg mixture back into remaining lemon mixture, stirring constantly.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened.

Pour mixture into a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill.

Posted October 7, 2007 5:42 PM in Recipes, Test Kitchen

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3 Comment(s)

Lisa said… (on October 7, 2007 at 21:56 PM #)

Lemon curd is one of my all-time *favorite* foods! I want these cupcakes for my birthday!!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe - it's certainly a keeper!

Petch said… (on October 8, 2007 at 09:34 AM #)

Happy to share a recipe and happy you liked the cupcakes!

MarcyK said… (on October 8, 2007 at 18:32 PM #)

I think the butterflies are adorable! You are SO a cupcaker now!!!!!


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