Difficutly: very easy
Time: 5 Min
Portion: 1 serving
Ingredients:
Makes about 14 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For strawberry cupcakes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced (I used fresh strawberries)
For lemon cream
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons
2 large eggs
3/8 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp butter unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature.
Directions:
To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in the vanilla and strawberries.
Fill cupcake liners 1/2 – 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.
To make lemon cream—
Have a instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (1st choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
et the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture fees tepid to the touch. Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk- you whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling- you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point- the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don’t stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience- depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp may take as long as 10 minutes.
[NOTES: Many TWDers had problems getting it up to 180F. Since I don\’t have a candy thermometer, I relied on Dorie\’s description of how the cream should progress. I had it on medium heat and it took me about 15 minutes. I think using a metal bowl helped too.]
As soon as it reaches 180F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the lender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
[NOTES: I almost skipped the straining step but I am so glad I didn\’t. Its worth it for the smooth cream texture. Trust me. Take the time to strain.]
Turn the blender to high (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going- to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to bend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests, and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.
Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. (the cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days or, tightly sealed, in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator)
To assemble cupcakes—
Fill a pastry bag with the lemon cream. Use a 1M piping tip to frost the cupcakes. Garnish with strawberry slices.
[NOTES: I think next time I make these I might try some strawberry coulis to drizzle on top of the lemon cream frosting. Yum!]