Lemon Poppy Seed Butterfly Cupcakes

Lemon Poppy Seed Butterfly Cupcakes

Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans

Make the Lemon Curd First (makes 1 cup):

- 1/4 C. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

- 1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 C. sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 C. water
- 1 Tsp. grated lemon zest

In medium saucepan, heat butter & lemon juice over medium heat until the
butter melts & the mixture is hot, about 130 degrees on a thermometer.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, & sugar together to blend,
then whisk in the dissolved cornstarch. Whisking constantly, SLOWLY pour in
the hot butter & lemon juice into the yolk mixture (if you do this too quickly, you
might scramble the eggs!). Return the mixture to the saucepan & cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly with a large spoon, just until it comes to a boil &
thickens. It will take about 6 minutes. When thickened, the sauce will leave a path
on the back of the spoon if you draw your finger across it & look clear rather than
cloudy. Immediately remove from heat, strain into a small bowl, & stir in the
lemon zest. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of the sauce & poke a few
holes in the plastic with a toothpick to let steam escape. Refrigerate until cold.
The sauce will thicken further as it stands.

For the Cake:

- 1 C. unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1/2 Tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 Tsp. salt
- 1/4 C. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 C. sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tsp. grated lemon zest (I use a microplane grater to grate the zest - it's
awesome)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 C. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin C. (in my case, 10) with paper
cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt into a medium bowl & set aside.
In large bowl, beat the butter & sugar on medium speed until smoothly blended &
lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer & and scrape sides of bowl as
needed during mixing. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is blended &
the batter looks creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla, lemon zest, & poppy
seeds. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.
Mix in the buttermilk to blend it. Mix in remaining flour mixture just until
incorporated & the batter looks smooth.

Fill each paper liner with about 1/4 C. of batter to about 1/2 inch below top of the
liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm & a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean, about 18 minutes The cupcakes will rise just above the tops of the
paper liners. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Take
cupcakes out of pan to cool completely.

Frosting:

- 1 C. heavy whipping cream

- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 recipe Lemon Curd, cold (see above)
- Powdered sugar for dusting

Make the lemon curd first (see above) & make sure it has been refrigerated long
enough to get good & cold!

In a large bowl on medium-high speed, beat the cream, powdered sugar, & vanilla
until firm peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1/4 C. of lemon curd, then
swirl in 1/2 C. remaining sauce, leaving streaks of yellow sauce.

Use a sharp knife to slice the top (about 1/4 inch thick slice) off each cupcake.
Dust the tops with powdered sugar. Cut each top in half & set aside. Use a spoon
to mound about 1/4 C. of filling on each cupcake. Press each halved top into the
filling, the cut sides facing out & the powedered sugar side up. Tilt the halves up
slightly so that they look like spread wings.

Spoon the remaining lemon curd into a small ziploc bag. Press out excess air &
seal the bag. Snip off one small corner of the bag, about 1/8 inch long. Hold the
bag above the space between each set of wings & squeeze a line of filling between
the wings. Serve, or refrigerate to serve cold.

Lemon sauce & filling (Lemon Curd)

- 1/4 C. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

- 1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 C. sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 C. water
- 1 Tsp. grated lemon zest

In medium saucepan, heat butter & lemon juice over medium heat until the
butter melts & the mixture is hot, about 130 degrees on a thermometer.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, & sugar together to blend,
then whisk in the dissolved cornstarch. Whisking constantly, SLOWLY pour in
the hot butter & lemon juice into the yolk mixture (if you do this too quickly, you
might scramble the eggs!). Return the mixture to the saucepan & cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly with a large spoon, just until it comes to a boil &
thickens. It will take about 6 minutes. When thickened, the sauce will leave a path
on the back of the spoon if you draw your finger across it & look clear rather than
cloudy. Immediately remove from heat, strain into a small bowl, & stir in the
lemon zest. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of the sauce & poke a few
holes in the plastic with a toothpick to let steam escape. Refrigerate until cold.
The sauce will thicken further as it stands.