These delicious Angel Food Lemon 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 them into cupcakes was a delicious idea and oh boy was I right.
What’s even better than angel food cake is Lemon Cupcakes that provide me with enough lemon zest along with that air-like texture of angel food cake.
These tasty hand-held treats are filled with lemon curd really setting off that lemon flavor and the frosting is a light and fluffy whipped cream which brings these cupcakes together well.
The frosting has to be one of my favorite parts of these Lemon Cupcakes. It is light and refreshing with a lemon flavor 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.
Some of our other favorite cupcake recipes we have on our site include Pina Colada Cupcakes, Banana Cupcakes and these Mini Margarita Cupcakes.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With three different components and textures, it all works well together.
- You can double this recipe to serve at gatherings.
- You can make your lemon curd from scratch or use store-bought.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Lemon juice
Granulated sugar
Egg yolks
Unsalted butter
Salt
All-purpose flour sifted
Egg whites
Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Cornstarch
HOW TO MAKE ANGEL FOOD LEMON CUPCAKES:
For the lemon curd:
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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 Lemon 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 lemon whipped cream frosting for your cupcakes.
HOW TO DECORATE?
You can easily decorate your Angel Food Lemon Cupcakes with some cupcake toppers from the store. I used a yellow large pearl-type sprinkle plus a little mint leaf to mimic a little lemon on top!
If you really want to make your own decorations for the top of your lemon cupcakes, feel free to use some food coloring to dye the lemon whipped cream frosting.
Take the piping bag (or ziplock bag!) and decorate your lemon cupcakes 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 a lot of 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 your jelly aisle at your local grocery store.
HOW TO STORE?
Because of the lemon curd and the whipped topping these need to be kept refrigerated. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator and these should keep for up to 3-4 days.
Here is how you can freeze these frosted lemon cupcakes to keep them fresh longer: Place your lemon cupcakes in the freezer on a baking sheet.
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 lemon cupcakes from the freezer. You’ll need to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator for six hours.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Use a piping bag to fill the cupcakes with lemon curd. Or, you can even put the curd in a small ziplock bag and cut a small tip off one of the corners and use it as a piping bag.
- You don’t have to fill the lemon curd cupcakes with a lot of curd, as the flavor is pretty concentrated so a little bit goes a long way in flavor.
- If you want to make these quicker you can use a boxed cake mix and a jarred lemon curd.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
If you want that perfectly textured and flavored summertime dessert recipe then you need to make these Angel Food Lemon Cupcakes!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these ANGEL FOOD LEMON CUPCAKES let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the lemon curd
- 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- pinch kosher salt
For the angel food cupcakes
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the lemon whipped cream frosting
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon prepared lemon curd
Instructions
For the lemon curd
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Place whipped cream into a piping bag or frost however you wish. Add mint leaves and large yellow sprinkles for garnish, if desired.
Notes
- Use a piping bag to fill the cupcakes with lemon curd. Or, you can even put the curd in a small ziplock bag and cut a small tip off one of the corners and use it as a piping bag.
- You don’t have to fill the lemon curd cupcakes with a lot of curd, as the flavor is pretty concentrated so a little bit goes a long way in flavor.
- If you want to make these quicker you can use a boxed cake mix and a jarred lemon curd.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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