Lemon Curd Cupcakes

a stout lemon curd cupcake topped with eggless lemon curd topping and sweet confectioners’ sugar.

5 from 3 votes

These Lemon Curd Cupcakes are like little drops of sunshiney deliciousness! They have a fluffy lemon cake filled with a luscious eggless lemon curd and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. They are the perfect lemon dessert for all the lemon lovers in your life! As always, they’re gluten free, egg free, nut free and can easily be dairy free (vegan).

Prep Time30

Cook Time24

Cool Time20

Total Time1 14

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Cupcakes

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

Eggless Lemon Curd

½ cup granulated sugar
2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)
⅔ cup lemon juice (from about 3.5 medium lemons)
1 ¼ cups milk
3 pinches turmeric (optional for color)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan baking stick

For the Lemon Cupcakes

1 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a multipurpose gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons water
½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream , full fat
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 medium lemons)
½ cup milk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Eggless Lemon Curd

Wash and dry all 5 lemons. Take a zester and zest 3 lemons.
There should be 3 tablespoons of zest. If there is not, zest another lemon.
Put the zest in a little bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't get crunchy. Set aside.
Take the 5 lemons, cut them in half and juice 4.5 of them. Make sure to remove any seeds if they get in the juice. Set aside.
There should be about ⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons of juice. If there isn't enough, juice the other half of the lemon. Keep 2 tablespoons separate.
Add the ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch (26 grams), 1 pinch kosher salt to a medium pan and whisk to combine.
Whisk in the 2 tablespoons lemon zest, ⅔ cup lemon juice and 1 ¼ cups milk.
Set pan over medium heat. Whisking the entire time, add the 3 pinches of turmeric if desired and bring the curd to a boil.
Once boiling, continue to whisk and boil for one minute. Then immediately remove from the heat and stir in the 3 tablespoons butter.
Pour the lemon curd through a mesh colander into a heat safe bowl and set aside to cool, stirring periodically.
Once room temperature, cover and put in the fridge.
You want the lemon curd thick and cool when you assemble the cupcakes. Make sure it is made ahead of time and is cold from being in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Once combined, whisk in the 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch (52 grams) with 6 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture into the creamed butter and sugar.
With the mixer still on low speed, mix in the ½ cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. The mixture will look pale yellow chunky. That's normal.
Slowly mix in the gluten free flour mixture a little at a time until all combined.
Slowly pour the ½ cup milk into the batter while the mixture is on low speed. Mix until just combined.
Once it is combined, turn off the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. You don’t want to over mix this. Just make sure everything is fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins ¾ way to the top. Smooth the tops with a small knife. There should be enough batter for 14 cupcakes.
You do not want to overfill the cupcakes. This will result in them spill out of the top and not baking evenly inside.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes are golden brown, spring back at you when carefully touched or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool almost completely in the pan before trying to remove them.

Assemble the Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, we are going to make the holes for the lemon curd.
If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes.
If not, using a clean thumb, simply push down in the center of the cupcakes but not all the way to the bottom.
Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar. It’s ok if it gets in the hole.
Fill the cupcake with the lemon curd and let it overflow out of the top of the hole into a nice round pool.
When ready to use, re-stir the curd so it's smooth. If it is too thick to fill the cupcakes with, microwave the curd in 5 second increments until you get the desired consistency.

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, non-dairy milk and vegan sour cream.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ¼ cups packed AP flour (210 grams).

Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge.

When ready to eat, let the cupcake sit on the counter, until it is room temperature and soft.

I do not recommend freezing the cupcakes once they are assembled. The lemon curd will be very wet as it defrosts, making the inside of the cupcakes a wet mess.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition