Mini Lemon Chantilly Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft and delicate lemon cupcakes, full of fresh lemon flavor, topped with a light and airy vanilla bean cream cheese whipped cream and a dollop of lemon curd. They are a light and refreshing treat!
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Equipment
- Lemon zester
- Fine mesh sieve or strainer
- Mini cupcake pan
- Piping bags & piping tips (optional)
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 2 ½ tbsp (35 g) butter (cut into pieces)
- ¼ cup + 3 tbsp (88 g) sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 5 tbsp (75 g) lemon juice
- 2 eggs
Lemon Chantilly Cupcakes
- 1 cup (128 g) cake flour
- ⅔ cup (133 g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (76 g) butter, softened
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (13 g) oil (neutral oil)
- ⅓ cup (90 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting
- 2 oz. (57 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp (38 g) sugar
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Prepare the Lemon Curd
- Add butter to a heat-safe bowl, set aside.
- Add sugar and lemon zest to a pot.
- (Optional) Use your fingers to rub the zest and sugar together until it feels like wet sand to release some of the flavor from the zest.
- Add lemon juice to the pot and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly until fully blended. You want it to be one smooth mixture - no clumps of egg white should be visible. Add the whisked eggs to the pot and whisk well to combine.
- Cook mixture over low to medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon well*. The texture will resemble pudding. At this point, remove from the heat.
- Pour the lemon curd mixture through a fine-mesh sieve onto the butter. This will remove the lemon zest and any potential egg clumps.
- Stir the curd and the butter until the butter is melted and fully incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate the curd until chilled.
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place a cupcake wrapper into each cupcake well.
- Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add softened butter and mix until it resembles coarse sand.
- Add the oil and about half of the milk to the mixture. Mix on a medium speed for two minutes.
- Add the remaining milk, vanilla extract, egg, and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
- Fill each lined cupcake well ¾ of the way with batter.
- Add a tiny dollop (about ¼ tsp) of lemon curd to the top of each cupcake.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar on a medium speed until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the heavy cream until it starts to hold its shape and resemble whipped cream.
- Add half of the cream cheese mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining cream cheese mixture and whisk until combined.
- Add the vanilla bean paste. Whisk the mixture until thick and fluffy.
Frost the Cupcakes
- When the cupcakes are cool, spread or pipe the whipped cream frosting onto each cupcake. Add a small dollop of lemon curd to the top of each one for extra lemon flavor.To decorate the cupcakes as shown, see the notes section below.
Notes
Room Temperature Ingredients - having the ingredients at room temperature allows everything to mix and emulsify well, resulting in a smooth and cohesive cake batter and a more consistent cake texture. If you need to get the ingredients to room temperature quickly:
- Butter - cut into small cubes and allow to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Alternatively, microwave it in short 5-second intervals on a defrost or low-power setting, rotating them in between each interval, until softened.
- Egg - place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Milk - microwave it in short bursts, stirring in between, until no longer cold. You can also do this on the stovetop by stirring the milk in a pot over low heat, until no longer cold.