Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

I do love citrus season!

Ever since seeing Claire’s Lemon Surprise cupcakes, I’ve been salivating at the thought of making my own. But it couldn’t be a regular cupcake or butter cake recipe – that would require the electric mixer – and because I’m baking at night (sshhh… the baby’s sleeping…) this one’s another melt-and-mix.

I’ve used a recipe that I know works to make super-light, moist little muffins, but this time we’re taking out the raspberries and calling them cupcakes. Once baked and cooled, we’re cutting off the top, and adding some lemon curd inside.

If you have a microwave, may I recommend the easiest Microwave Lemon Curd recipe – works a dream! Usually it takes no more than 5 zaps of 1-minute each – after which you spoon into hot jars (sterilised in the oven at 150degC). Store in the fridge and you are ready for the next step.

Halve the little top you’ve just removed, add back again (a.k.a ‘butterfly wings’), sprinkle with icing sugar, and you have some super-cute little Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes, ready for savouring along with a hot cuppa, while you dream of warmer weather.

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes
Adapted from Taste.com.au

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 ½ cups SR flour
½ cup almond meal
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Vaalia Lemon Crème yoghurt
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup lemon curd

Method
Preheat oven to 190deg C (375degF). Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a bowl, combine flour, almond meal, sugar and salt. Whisk together eggs, yoghurt, oil and vanilla extract in another bowl. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fill cupcake papers ¾ full. Bake at 190 deg C for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Assembly
Using a small, sharp knife, cut a shallow disc from centre of each cake, 1cm in from edges and 1 1/2cm deep. Cut discs in half to form butterfly wings. Fill cavity of each cake with lemon curd. Arrange ‘wings’ in lemon curd. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.