Martha Stewart Lemon Cupcake Food

LEMON-YOGURT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of yogurt, beating until just combined (do not overmix).
• Divide batter evenly among paper-lined standard muffin tins, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until golden and a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in tins on wire racks before removing. Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature up to 2 days before spreading about 2 tablespoons frosting on each.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately.

MARTHA STEWART'S CA. 1995 BEST LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Beat the egg yolks until well blended and lemon yellow in colour. Strain the egg yolks through a sieve into a medium-size heavy saucepan. (Sieving removes any shells or albumen; heavy saucpan prevents curdling.).
• Add the sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10-15 minutes. DO NOT HURRY THE PROCESS OR THE EGGS WILL CURDLE!
• Cook until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and immediately pour through another sieve to catch any "scrambled egg bits". Pour into a heat proof 4 cup measuring cup and stir in the cold butter pieces, which cools down the mixture quickly.
• Add the rind, continue stirring until well-blended.
• Transfer to whatever storage container you want: either a large one or several samll ones.
• Shelf Life: MUST BE REFRIGERATED! Keeps 2 weeks.
• Variations:.
• Lime Curd: substitute lime juice and increase grated lime peel to 2 tablespoons.
• Orange Curd: Use orange juice, decrease sugar to 2/3 cup. 1 tablespoon orange peel.
• Grapefruit Curd: Use grapefruit juice, same sugar and zest as lemon curd.

LEMON CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture; mix until well combined. Add sour cream; mix until well combined.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
• Fill each muffin cup half full with batter. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely.
• Using an apple corer, make a hole in the top of each cupcake, taking care not to push the corer through the bottom; remove cake from hole. Fill a squirt bottle with lemon curd and squeeze curd into holes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch plain round tip and fill with buttercream. Pipe buttercream in a circular motion on top of each cupcake; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Pipe a dollop of buttercream in the center of each cupcake and top with a raspberry.