This yummy cupcake recipe was adapted by There Goes the Cupcake from a recipe by Sweetapolita for Triple Lemon Blueberry Cake. I made these cupcakes last week and used the lemon version of my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting, but I think next time I will try the Lemon Mascarpone Cream Frosting included below.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups plus 6 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin by lining with cupcake papers. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture to a larger bowl, add fresh blueberries and lightly toss them to coat with flour. Set both bowls aside.

Stir the sour cream, milk, vanilla and lemon extracts and lemon zest together in a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar and butter until pale yellow and very fluffy about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined.

Mix in the flour mixture a little at a time alternating with the milk mixture. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among the cupcake cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Check them at 20 minutes. Since ovens vary mine took 22 minutes. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on racks.

When cupcakes are cool fill with lemon curd. This can be done by punching a hole in the center of the cupcake with an apple corer. See example here. Another method is to cut a small cone shaped piece from the top of the cupcake, fill with lemon curd and replace the cone. The last method, and the one I use most often, is to use a squeeze bottle filled with lemon curd. I poke the pointed lid into the center of cupcake and squeeze until a little lemon curd starts to ooze to the surface. Fill cupcakes and set aside.

Lemon Mascarpone Cream Frosting

Ingredients

1 pound mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup lemon curd
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone, lemon curd and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately. 

Fill pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or your favorite. Pipe frosting on to the cupcakes, decorate with yellow sprinkles and garnish with washed and dried blueberries.