Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

These delicious Angel Food Cupcakes have lemon curd stuffed inside and is topped with a luscious lemon whipped cream frosting. The perfect lemon cupcake recipe!

I absolutely love the taste and texture of angel food cake. So I decided that making it into Angel Food Cupcakes was a delicious idea, and oh boy, was I right.

What’s even better than angel food cake is lemon cupcakes, which provide me with that lemon zing and air-like texture! This recipe is truly perfect for the lemon lover in your family.

These tasty hand-held treats are filled with lemon curd, setting off that lemon flavor, and the frosting is light and fluffy, bringing these cupcakes together well.

The frosting has to be one of my favorite parts of these cupcakes. It is light and refreshing with a light lemon tang that does not overpower the flavor or texture of the cupcakes at all.

They truly are the triple threat when it comes to all the elements that go into them. They are a fun and flavorful summertime dessert that everyone will love.

Of course, I have provided you with some alternate suggestions and substitutions in my notes below.

Our Angel Food Cupcakes are all these things and more, just wait until that first bite, and you’ll instantly fall in love.

Some of our other favorite cupcake recipes we have on our site include Pina Colada Cupcakes, Banana Cupcakes, and Strawberry Cupcakes.

1. With three different components and textures, it all works well together.
2. You can double this recipe to serve at gatherings.
3. You can make your lemon curd from scratch or use store-bought.

• Lemon juice
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter
• Salt
• All-purpose flour
• Egg whites
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Cornstarch

For the lemon curd:

1. Place the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and salt into a small saucepot. Whisk to combine. Place the saucepot over medium heat and let come to a slow boil, whisking constantly, or it can burn on the bottom.
2. Continue to boil the curd gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Take the pot off the heat, let cool. Use to fill the cupcakes or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

For the angel food cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside. In a food processor, add the sugar and pulse until very fine, about 2 minutes. Sift half of the sugar with the flour and salt, set aside. 
2. In a large bowl add the egg whites, add in the water, vanilla, and cream of tartar. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix on low until fully combined. Gradually add in the remaining sugar until well mixed in. Place mixer on medium speed until egg whites form medium peaks.
3. Start to add in the flour mixture a little at a time by sifting it onto the surface of the egg mixture and folding it in in very small batches by hand. 
4. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the lemon whipped cream frosting:

1. Add the heavy cream to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix on low until bubbles start to form. Add in the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time, mixing between additions. Add the cornstarch and vanilla once the cream starts to form soft peaks.
2. Continue to mix on medium speed until the cream will stand up on the whisk and will not move. Do not over beat or you will have butter. Add in the lemon curd, and fold in by hand until fully combined.

Lemon Cupcake Assembly:

1. Only assemble the lemon cupcakes once the cupcakes are completely cooled. Add some lemon curd to a piping bag with a small round tip. Gently press into the middle of the cupcake about 1/2 inch down. Squeeze some curd into the cupcake center, only about a teaspoons worth. Continue with all the cupcakes.
2. Place whipped cream into a piping bag or frost however you wish. Add mint leaves and large yellow sprinkles for garnish, if desired.

WHAT FROSTING SHOULD I USE?

Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting is my favorite option when it comes to frosting these cupcakes. This homemade whipped cream frosting will taste absolutely delicious on top!

The trick is to make my homemade whipped cream frosting as per the instructions below, don’t take any shortcuts. This will ensure you get the most flavorful frosting for your cupcakes.

I really suggest a lighter frosting for these cupcakes since the texture of the cake itself is so light and airy. If you don’t want to make the frosting, I suggest using store-bought whipped topping instead. You can still fold in the lemon curd, so you get the lemon aspect in the frosting as well.

HOW TO DECORATE?

You can easily decorate your cupcakes with some cupcake toppers from the store. I have used a large yellow pearl-type sprinkle plus a little mint leaf to mimic a little lemon on top, or you can stick with a slice of lemon as I have here.

Feel free to use some food coloring to dye the frosting or cupcakes.

I suggest using a gel food coloring as they tend to be more vibrant.

Take a piping bag (or ziplock bag!) and decorate them with the color of your choice. This is the perfect way to add some color for a special event or birthday party.

CAN I USE A BOXED CAKE MIX?

If you want to save some time on making this from scratch you can absolutely use a boxed angel food cake mix instead. We love cake mixes and use them as many starting points for our recipes.

So this is an option if you are short on time, then you can absolutely use a quality name-brand boxed mix.

DO I HAVE TO MAKE LEMON CURD HOMEMADE?

While lemon curd is fairly easy to make, this is also something that you can use pre-made. Again if you are short on time, you can absolutely use jarred lemon curd.

You can find lemon curd in the jelly aisle at your local grocery store.

Because of the lemon curd and the whipped topping, these need to be kept refrigerated, placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and these should keep for up to 4 days.

Here is how you can freeze these frosted cupcakes to keep them fresh longer: 

1. Place your lemon cupcakes in the freezer on a baking sheet.
2. Once the whipped frosting is completely frozen, pull the cupcakes out of the freezer. Wrap the cupcakes in plastic wrap and place them back into the freezer.

These should keep for up to three months in the freezer.

To thaw, simply remove the cupcakes from the freezer. You’ll need to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator until defrosted.

Want that perfectly textured and lemon-flavored summertime dessert recipe? You need to make these Angel Food Cupcakes STAT!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Lemon Layer Cake
• Meltaway Lemon Cookies
• Lemon Lime Angel Food Cupcakes 

If you’ve tried these ANGEL FOOD CUPCAKES, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!