“Hollowing out a bit of the cake and putting in a small spoonful of lemon curd makes this cupcake very moist and tangy. Lemon is always a popular alternative to chocolate or vanilla desserts. The trick is to keep the frosting slightly tart, to temper the sugar.“
– The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
– The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
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Hummingbird Bakery Lemon Cupcakes Recipe
yield: 12 cupcakes
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Ingredients
For the Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour (decrease to 1 cup for sea-level)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (increase to 1 1/2 teaspoons for sea-level)
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of whole milk, at room temperature (decrease to 1/2 cup for sea-level)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
For the Lemon Frosting
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, plus extra to decorate
- a couple of drops of yellow food coloring
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook's Lemon Cupcakes Recipe
(Adapted for a high-altitude environment of approximately 5,000 ft)
- Preheat the oven to 375 (F) — this is a 50 (F)-degree increase from the original recipe temperature of 325 (F).
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.
- Gradually pour in the milk and beat until just incorporated.
- Add the egg to the flour mixture and continue beating until the flour is just incorporated, making sure to scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the batter is smooth, but be careful not to overmix.
- Using a cookie scoop, spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into cupcake cases (or, fill until the case is two-thirds full). Bake in the preheated for 20-25 miutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out into a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the lemon frosting on top and use extra lemon zest to decorate accordingly.
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook’s Lemon Frosting Recipe
(For All Altitudes)
- Beat together the confectioners’ sugar, butter, lemon zest, and food coloring in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed. Continue until the mixture is well-mixed.
- Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the milk.
- Once the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
- Continue beat until the frosting is light and fluffy; this should take at least 5 minutes.
Notes
Tips & Addendums
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- When grating your lemons, make sure grate as little as you can of the lemon’s white peel — the white peel is what gives citrus fruits its bitter taste. You only want the yellow of the rind.
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- All spoon measurements are level and unsifted, unless otherwise specified. To level the ingredients, take the back of a knife and run it across the top of the measuring up until the excess ingredients are scraped off.
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- Liquid and dry measuring cups are different; please make sure you use the appropriate measuring cup for each ingredient.
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- After adding liquid (milk, eggs) to the flour mixture, don’t overbeat as this will overwork the flour and make the cake dense — simply beat or stir until liquids have just been incorporated. In my opinion, making sure you don’t overbeat the batter is one of the hardest parts about baking.
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- Don’t open your oven until at least the minimum time recommended has passed. Too much cold air coming from a frequently opened oven door causes irregular oven temperatures, which then affect the baking process.
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- Specifically for the frosting: the longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.
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- I like to use a cookie scoop to measure out frosting onto my cupcakes; that way each cupcake will receive an equal amount of frosting.
- Add your extra decorations (e.g. lemon zest) immediately after you have frosted the cupcake; if you wait to decorate the cake, the frosting will harden and the decorations will bounce right off the frosting.
Raven says
These are beautiful! I will adapt to my lemon bud recipe tonight, thanks!
http://www.cookeatdelicious.com/fruit-recipes/lemons-recipes/glazed-lemon-cupcake-buds-recipe.html
Andy says
Looks delicious! I would like to try it out soon.
Jen says
Hello from Colorado Springs. I have made this recipe several times and love it! Have you tried this recipe as a cake? I’m wondering about the baking time and temperature for a cake.
Michelle says
I have not, but I’m sure it would work well. You’d just have to do a little bit of experimenting with Bake Time—I think temperature would stay the same.
Helen says
Hi! I’m looking to make these cupcakes for my brother’s birthday but he has a severe dairy allergy. Does anyone have any idea if I can substitute almond, oat or coconut milk for the regular milk? Will I need to add additional fat to the recipe to make up for the milk substitution?
Thanks!
Michelle says
You can substitute non-dairy milk for the milk in this recipe—no need to make any other changes!
Helen says
I ended up using flax milk and they turned out absolutely fantastic!