This was my cupcake creation for the church coffee shop this month. I took a survey at work and the girls overwhelmingly chose this flavor combination for a more “springy” cupcake. I made a doctored up cake, piped in a lemon curd filling with a Wilton #230 tip, and frosted them with a yummy raspberry infused buttercream.

Lemon Cake:
1 box White Cake Mix
4 egg whites
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 3 lemons

Lemon Curd Filling:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

Raspberry Buttercream:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (blended into a puree and pushed through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds)
1/2 cup unsalted butter – room temperature
1/2 cup shortening*
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
2-4 tablespoons very cold milk (add until you reach desired consistency)

Mix all ingredients except the cake mix together and then add to cake mix. Beat well. Fill liners 3/4 full and bake in 350F oven for 15-20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool.

For the filling: In a heavy saucepan or top of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in butter, lemon juice and peel. Cook and stir over low heat or simmering water for 15 minutes or until mixture reaches 160° and is thickened. Cover and refrigerate until chilled (may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

For the Raspberry Buttercream: Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add vanilla and raspberry puree and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high-speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

A fresh Spring taste