Access your inner Mary Berry or Nigella Lawson with these fluffy Elderflower & Gin-Spiked Lemon Curd Cupcakes! Topped with a luxurious lemon, elderflower and gin frosting, which hides a centre filled with a gin and lemon curd, these miniature sponge cakes are bursting with sunny citrus and floral flavours that are utterly divine.

What’s more, the recipe is so easy to make at home!

How do you remove the middle of a cupcake?

For this recipe, you will need to remove the centre of the cupcake sponge to make room for the boozy lemon curd. Coring the cupcake can easily be done without a corer. Instead, we recommend using a small yet sharp paring knife.

Insert the knife into the top of the cupcake at an angle around a centimetre from the edge. The tip of the blade should be pointed towards the centre of the base, inserted to around halfway down inside the cake. Cut in a circular shape, keeping the same distance from the edge of the cake and keeping the point of the blade aimed at the middle of the base.

You should be left with a cone of the sponge removed from the top of the cupcake.

Can you fill cupcakes before baking?

You can not fill the cupcakes before baking in this recipe. The sponge must cool before adding the filling and the frosting as both will spoil if they come into contact with too much heat.

There are methods of filling cupcakes before baking, like adding a ball of frozen jam to the cupcake batter before placing it in the oven. The sponge will cover the frozen ball of jam, cooking around it. The end result is a cupcake with a jam centre.

What is lemon curd made from?

Lemon curd is traditionally made from lemon juice, zest, eggs, butter, and sugar. The ingredients are cooked together to form a spread, with a custard-like consistency. For our recipe, we have also added a glug of gin, which adds complex juniper notes.

Lemon curd is great for spreading on toast and scones, and it makes for a fantastic addition to sponge cakes, as it is in this recipe.

Why do they call it lemon curd?

“Lemon curd” is said to be named as such because in the 19th century, when the term is thought to have been coined, the acid in lemon juice was used to acidulate cream so that the curds would separate from the whey.

The mixture would then be passed through a cheesecloth, leaving the lemon-flavoured curds. That lemon cheese was the earliest version of “lemon curd”, although it’s texture was very different, and it was commonly used to fill tarts and other delicacies.

Lemon & Elderflower Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

185g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
185g caster sugar
185g unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp elderflower syrup
1 lemon
3 large eggs
1 tbsp milk 

For the gin curd filling:
2 lemons
100g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp gin
2 medium eggs

For the icing:

200g unsalted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
3 tbsp elderflower syrup, plus more to taste
1 lemon

Method

 1. Begin by making your cakes. Preheat your oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C/ gas 4. While the oven is heating up, line a cupcake tin with paper cases and set aside. 

 2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. In a second bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until the mixture is pale and fluffy – this is much easier with an electric mixer. Add the elderflower cordial and the zest of your lemon, then stir to combine. Give your batter a little taste at this stage, and add more lemon or elderflower as needed. 

 3. Beat in your eggs one at a time, ensuring they’re fully incorporated before adding the next. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Once combined, stir in the milk. 

 4. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. 

 5. While the cakes are baking, make your curd. To do this, add the zest and juice of two lemons into a heatproof bowl alongside the sugar, butter and gin. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and stir until the butter has melted. 

 6. In a separate bowl, whisk your two eggs. Gradually add the beaten eggs to the melted butter mixture, whisking all the time. Keep whisking as you simmer the mixture gently. Cook your curd for about 10 minutes – it will thicken like custard. When it coats the back of the spoon, take it off of the heat and pour into a sterilised jar. Leave to cool completely. 

 7. When your cupcakes are done baking, pull them out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. While your curd and cupcakes cool, get started on your buttercream icing. 

 8. Add the softened butter, icing sugar and cordial to a large bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until fluffy. Beat in lemon juice a tablespoon or two at a time, tasting all the while, until you find a balance of sweet and sharp that appeals to you. If the icing gets runny from too much liquid, you can bring it back by adding more icing sugar. 

 9. When your cupcakes are cool, take a sharp knife and carefully cut a circle out of the top from each. Fill the space with curd and replace the circles, then ice the cupcakes. Decorate however you like – we love raspberries or a sprinkle of lemon zest. 

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