Lemon Curd and Elderflower Cupcakes (with Lemon and Elderflower Curd Frosting)
These lemon curd and elderflower cupcakes are soft, fragrant, and delicious. Topped with a sweet homemade lemon and elderflower curd frosting, they’re the perfect treat for summer.
Using elderflower cordial
As with many of my recipes, these lemon curd and elderflower cupcakes are simple. A no fuss, non extravagant, offering from my spelt kitchen. These lemon curd and elderflower cupcakes are the latest of my recipes made with elderflower cordial.
Out of the four recipes I made, these cupcakes were my favourite. Hands down. Soft, delicious cakes with a hint of both lemon and elderflower, topped with a tangy, not overly sweet, lemon and elderflower curd frosting. However, if you would prefer a simpler cake, my one layer elderflower and lime drizzle cake might be the one for you.
Taking natural outside shots of food
For the past couple of years, I’ve taken all of my photos in my little studio downstairs in my cellar. I like the controlled setting, but this week, I’ve been snapping my food outside. The colours are so much more vibrant in natural light. The yellow of the curd jumps from the page and makes me feel all summer-y and happy. That’s despite the fact that Sweden is having a fairly cool summer so far. Boo-hiss. If you love taking photos like me, and want to explore using outside settings, I loved Photography Life’s tips on photographing food outside.
Elderflower and lemon curd frosting
The frosting is a true delight, combining the floral sweetness of elderflower with the zesty brightness of lemon. With my homemade curd and a generous helping of icing sugar, it’s sweet, smooth, and beautifully vibrant yellow. The balance of tangy and sweet makes it a perfect choice for topping these cupcakes, but you could sandwich two cakes together with it, or even use it as a filling for meringue.
Making cupcakes with spelt flour
The cupcakes were made with spelt flour, but as always, you can easily substitute all-purpose (plain) flour, using the same amount as stated in the instructions. However, if you have perhaps not tried spelt yet, and you are not sure of the outcome (and just how much affect using spelt flour will have), I did a little experiment to see for myself. In my post spelt vs plain flour: which makes the best cupcake, I look at every angle of the baking (and tasting) process. The clear winner was the cupcakes made with spelt. So, if you’re unsure, why not give it a go?
More spelt flour cupcakes
If you like this recipe, why not check out my other spelt cupcakes?
- Raspberry and blackberry cupcakes (with berry cream cheese frosting)
- Polenta and spelt lime cupcakes
- Chocolate spelt overload cupcakes
- Lemon and lime cupcakes
- White chocolate spelt cupcakes
- Saffron and cranberry cupcakes
- Gingerbread cupcakes (with vanilla cream cheese frosting)
Lemon Curd and Elderflower Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 150g (¾ cup) sugar
- 115g (½ cup) butter
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 50g (¼ cup) Greek yoghurt
- 50ml (3 tbsp) milk
- 40g (1½ oz) lemon curd (see note 1)
- 2 tbsp elderflower cordial (see note 2)
- 150g (1¼ cups) spelt flour (see note 3)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
Lemon Curd Frosting:
- 90g (3¼ oz) lemon curd (see note 1)
- 50g (½ cup) icing/confectioners'/powdered sugar
- strawberries (optional)
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (338℉). Line a cupcake tin with 8 cases (see note 4).
- Using an electric whisk or stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating each one in before adding the next.
- Running on a slow setting, add the Greek yoghurt, milk, curd and elderflower cordial, and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Again, running on a slow setting, add the dry ingredients a little at a time. Stop when the flour mixture is just incorporated (do not over-work).
- Dollop into the prepared cupcake tin, filling to about a ⅔ full. They do rise a fair bit, so don't fill more than this. If you are making more cupcakes than 8, just fill to the half way mark.
- Bake for around 23-26 minutes in the lower part of the oven, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave in the pan for around ten minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- Mix the curd with as much icing sugar as needed to make a firm, spreadable frosting (you can omit the icing sugar and just top with lemon curd, if you prefer).
- Spread over the cold cupcakes. Top with half a strawberry, if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- I used my own lemon and elderflower curd, but you can add whatever you have.
- I used my own elderflower cordial, but again, you don't have to make your own.
- You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
- I made 8 massive cupcakes. You could make 10 (or even 12) if you preferred, but you would need to adjust baking times slightly.