Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Coconut/Lemon Frosting

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Coconut/Lemon Frosting

Lemon chiffon is an amazingly light and fluffy cake due to the large number of egg whites that are added at the end, which makes them a great choice for summer when a more dense cake can be overwhelming. I made these for a coworker's last day, hence the fancy decorations and the need for a sturdy frosting, but you could almost definitely use a simple homemade whip cream to continue the light and airy theme.

Cupcakes:

7 eggs, separated

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tsp grated lemon peel (I used four lemons, but you can probably get away with two)

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tsp lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Put egg whites in a metal bowl of a standing mixer to let come to room temp.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and sugar. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel, & vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend well.

Add cream of tartar or lemon juice to egg whites and beat until they reach stiff peaks (this is why I recommend a standing mixer; you can do it by hand but your arm will try to fall off). Fold egg whites gently into batter.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn, bake another 10 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes about 36.

Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2-3 cups xxx sugar, sifted

Lemon variation:

1/4 cup lemon juice 

Coconut variation:

2 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp milk

Make sure butter is at room temperature or slightly soft. Beat until creamy. Add in xxx sugar and wet ingredients. Beat until icing reaches desired consistency; should be firm enough to pipe. Add color if desired.

To combine:

When cupcakes are cooled, pipe a spiral of frosting on the tops of each. Decorate as desired. I used some edible gold stars and a strawberry garnish (not pictured) on the lemon frosting:

and edible spray paint on the coconut:

I have to say, as someone who is not the hugest fan of lemon, I think the coconut frosted cupcakes were better because the coconut balanced the lemon in the cupcake. Even using just lemon peel and juice, lemon-flavored things can have a very overwhelming and almost artificial lemon taste that I personally don't much care for. Obviously, if you are a lover of all things citrus, go for the double lemon!

Cupcakes adapted from TasteofHome.com

Icing by me.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I recommend making the lemon curd first, because it has to chill for two hours before you can use it.

Cupcakes:

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 tbsp freshly grated lemon rind

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Whisk together flour and baking powder. Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs, beating until combined. Add zest and vanilla. Alternate in flour and buttermilk/lemon juice, still beating.

Fill cupcake tins 3/4 high. Bake 13 minutes, turn, bake 13. Let cool.

Lemon Curd:

2 eggs + 8 egg yolks (save whites for icing)

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice (the recipe says about 6 lemons; I only needed 3 and was still able to get the juice for the cake)

2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

Combine eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice is a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. I used my metal mixing bowl and just set it in a small saucepan, since I don't have a double boiler. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick. It'll bubble into a thick, light colored foam -- you can definitely tell when it's ready.

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until it melts. Strain into a bowl you can store in the fridge for at least two hours.

I strained the lemon juice right after I squeezed it, to remove the seeds and pulp, and when I stained the curd I found that there was really nothing left in the strainer -- maybe a few fragments of egg white. So I think you can save yourself a step by straining the lemon juice, and then you don't need to worry about straining the curd when it's hot. The picture on the right shows what the curd looked like after strained.

Meringue Icing:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

2 tbsp corn syrup

6 egg whites

Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 230 F (110 C, or "thread" stage).

Meanwhile, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add in the syrup slowly while continuing to whisk.

Whisk hard until this mixture is cool and stiff -- at least seven minutes.

To Put Together:

Take the cooled cupcakes and slice a shallow indentation in the tops using a serrated knife. Put a generous spoonful of the lemon curd into each of these indentations, using the spoon to spread it slightly.

Using a piping bag fitted with a wide tip, pipe a little spiral of icing on top of the curd.

Use a kitchen torch to brown the icing spirals gently.

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.