GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES WITH LEMON CURD FILLING
By:
EVOO Cookbook
Gingerbread cupcake filled with lemon curd served with whipped cream
Home spun like Grandma used to make! Well, if a little embellished with lemon curd and meringue. We use muffin top pans and individual cupcake size aluminum pans, but a standard muffin pan works and may be a little easier to fill. When baked and cooled, we make a hole in the cake using a small melon scoop and fill with homemade lemon curd or use store bought. Then top with either Swiss meringue and toast it with a torch or roll in or sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts, or use very under sweetened whipped cream instead of the marshmallow topping. And there is a quick alternative to the filling and meringue shown below in this recipe.
Ingredients:
As needed butter and flour to coat pans
- 8 oz light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 8 ounce (1 3/4 cups) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounce ( 3/4 cup) melted Unsalted butter
- 5 ounce (1/2 cup) half and half at room temperature
one recipe of lemon curd
- one recipe of Swiss meringue
- 1/2 -1 cup chopped salted peanuts, optional (may also use other chopped nuts but we like the salted peanuts, (no skin)
Method:
Brush muffin top pans with butter and then flour – shake off excess. Set aside
Sift flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardomom and salt. Set aside.
Whip brown sugar and eggs together to a foamy consistency; add dry ingredient mixture to egg mixture; combine butter with cream and add to batter slowly. Do not over mix at this point.
Divide batter using #12 scoop for each cupcake. Bake at 350° F for approximately 20-25 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched. Cool on rack 10 minutes before removing from pans; continue cooling on rack before wrapping if not finishing right away.
For service, prepare lemon curd recipe and cool completely. (see recipe) Make small hole in each muffin on top using a melon ball scoop. (enjoy a preview taste!) Fill each hole with the lemon curd for a little surprise in the middle.
Gather ingrediens for the marshmellow icing. (see recipe for Swiss Meringue) Top the filled lemon curd cupcakes with meringue icing. Then sprinkle with chopped salted skinless peanuts.
Here’s a quick alternative to meringue and lemon curd filling: Before baking cakes add a strussel topping (see recipe here) and after baking, cool and eat!
Ingredients:
- STRUSSEL TOPPING ALTERNATIVE
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled or EVOO
- 1 cup salted peanuts, coarse chop
Method:
Blend sugars and spices (if using). Add butter and blend to look like wet sand. Add peanuts. Sprinkle topping on unbaked cupcakes. Bake as directed above. Cool and they are ready to eat as is.
TO RECIPES
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