Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes | SCD, Gluten-Free

I certainly never imagined my children enjoying the tart flavor of lemon curd, but this classic culinary delight has been a staple in our kitchen since we started the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) over four years ago. The very first Easter my son was diagnosed I wanted to make several options for desserts, and lemon curd filled pastries happened to be one of them. The wonderful thing about lemon curd is it is very versatile. You can serve it alone, with fresh berries, in a tart or pastry, or, in this case, as a filling for cupcakes. I took my basic vanilla cupcake recipe and added a hint of lemon zest for a summery flavor. Pair this with a lemon curd filling and a strawberry icing and you have the perfect summer treat!



Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
yield: about 9 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt
6 Tbs butter, melted
3 large eggs, seperated
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. lemon zest (optional for a burst of lemon flavor)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F and add cupcake liners to muffin tins.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, butter, honey, vanilla and lemon juice or ACV to combine. Add to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in lemon zest if using.
4. Using your standing mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Using a spatula, fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Then gently fold the remaining egg whites, careful not to over mix.
5. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Lemon Curd Filling
In a medium saucepan, whisk together until light in color:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup honey
grated zest of 1 lemon
Add:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Cook, whisking over medium high heat until the butter is melted. Then whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened and simmering gently for a few seconds. Using a spatula, scrape the filling into a medium sized mesh sieve set over a glass bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Let cool, cover and refrigerate to thicken.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup palm shortening
1/2 cup butter
4 Tbs honey
4 Tbs freeze dried strawberries, ground to a powder

In your standing mixer, beat together the ingredients for the frosting until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes:
Use a small paring knife to cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake, about 1 inch deep. Spoon a small amount of lemon curd into the hole and replace the cone. Gently press the cone into place and smooth away any crumbs. Frost the cupcakes as desired. For these I used a large round tip and the swirl method. Hold your piping bag perpendicular to the cupcake. Start at the outer edge of the cupcake and pipe a circle around the outer edge. As you complete a full circle, move the piping bag slightly inward to create the next circle rotation. Continue piping, moving inward for three full rotations, plus a small one on top. Release the pressure and pull the bag away. **Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before icing**

*I originally created this post for Babiekins Magazine and you can see that post HERE. I adapted this recipe for my family so it is SCD compliant for my son's health and our lifestyle.