lemon filled vanilla cupcakes + strawberry frosting

i make cupcakes for those that i love- get a cupcake from me, you know you are loved. cupcakes can make a bad day a little better, a celebration a little sweeter; cupcakes put a smile on almost anyones' face.
my good friend kristin recently celebrated her birthday, i was on a mission for the perfect cupcake. cupcakes between her and i are extra special, we celebrated with cupcakes when she first found out she was going to be a mama, then for her daughters 1st birthday, and of course just because cupcakes when the mood strikes.


so many different flavor combinations were running rampant through my mind, i kept going back to a lemon strawberry combination. i just wasn't sure how to make a successful vegan lemon curd that would hold well inside a cupcake. i first thought maybe i could make a lemon cream / mousse with silken tofu; i opted out of that for fear it would make the cupcake too soggy inside and i would more than likely need to keep the cupcakes refrigerated. i thumbed through several cookbooks for inspiration along with my trusty Veganomicon in search for a lemon filling. lo and behold veganomicon had a recipe for lemon bars- a stable filling at room temperature, i finally found my filling!

in order to fill my cupcakes i made a small hole in each cupcake with my finger and moshed around a little bit to ensure the space was large enough to pipe a good amount of filling into it. i used a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip ( i am unsure what the "formal" name of the tip is) and filled each cupcake to the top. if you do not have a pastry bag, a ziploc baggie with the corner cut away will get the job done. don't be alarmed if your filling starts to gel up, that is okay it still does what it is suppose to do- you may have to work it a little once in the bag.

i went a little overboard last year strawberry picking- they all looked so good (red stained fingers & 16lbs of strawberries later)! i still have some left over, stored in the freezer. only a small amount of strawberry is needed for the frosting, i suppose blueberries or raspberries would sub in nicely for the strawberries if that is what you fancy.


the lemon filling
from veganomicon's lemon bars

- 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 tbsp agar flakes
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/16 tsp turmeric
- juice from one fresh lemon
- 1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
- 1/8 cup soy milk

• in a sauce pot, soak the agar in the water for 15 minutes. 
• use the time while it soaks to zest your lemons and squeeze your lemon juice. 
• mix the arrowroot into the lemon juice to dissolve.
  When the agar has been soaked for 15 minutes, turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. 
• boil for about 10 minutes, or until the agar is completely dissolved.  Add the granulated sugar and turmeric, and boil until they have dissolved, about 3 minutes. 
• turn down the heat to medium and add the arrowroot mixture, then add the lemon zest and soy milk. 
• whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.  It should not be rapidly boiling, but low bubbling is okay.
• transfer to a bowl to cool prior to filling cupcakes
  

the vanilla cupcakes
from vegan cupcakes takeover the world!

 -1 cup soy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 1/4 cups flour

- 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/3 cup canola oil

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla (i used Tahitian)

- 1/4 tsp almond extract or additional 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

• preheat oven to 350F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
• whisk the soy milk and the vinegar together and let sit a few minutes until curdled.  
• beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and other extracts, if using, in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.
• fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 to 22 minutes till done. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

the strawberry frosting
- 1 stick earth balance at room temp
- 4oz cream cheese at room temp
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp good vanilla ( i used Tahitian)
- 4 defrosted strawberries with 1 tablespoon of juice

• beat butter + cream cheese with a hand held or stand mixer
• add confectioners sugar
• break apart the strawberries with your hands- add to the sugar mix along with the vanilla and blend until desired consistency
• at this point you may wish to add in a tad more confectioners sugar- this really depends on how you like your frosting

once cupcakes are cooled, make a little hole with your finger for the lemon filling- fill with lemon, frost + enjoy!

 

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