It's almost Easter, so let's celebrate with some yummy treats!

Spring has finally arrived, and I'm in the mood for some zingy citrus baking.  When I came across a vegan lemon curd recipe by It doesn't taste like chicken, and a zesty vegan lemon cupcake recipe by Loving it Vegan, I knew I wanted to tweak and combine them into the ultimate lemony treat!

These are not your ordinary frosted cupcakes, they have a secret lemon curd filling, delicious! Plus, they are dairy free making them perfect for food intolerance sufferers, and vegans alike.

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

• 100g Caster sugar
• 15g Corn flour 
• 118ml Soy milk
• 61ml Fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of turmeric

Cupcakes

• 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
• 240ml Soy milk
• 220g Plain flour
• 200g Caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 80ml Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Lemon extract
• Zest of 1 lemon

Lemon Icing

• 480g Icing sugar
• 112g Vegan baking block (Flora or Trex are good)
• 2 teaspoons Lemon extract
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pinch of turmeric

Making the curd

1. In a saucepan, stir together the caster sugar and corn flour.
2. Add in all the other ingredients and stir over a medium heat. The turmeric is optional, and gives the curd a traditional yellow colour.
3. Keep stirring until the curd thickens, mine took around 12 minutes.  You want it to not be too runny, nor too thick.  It will thicken up more when it cools.
4. Allow to cool slightly, and then pour into a lidded jar and set aside.

The curd can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week, and is yummy in the cupcakes, or even on toast.

Making the cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 160 degrees Fan and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin or large cupcake liners.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, whisk and set aside.  It may look a bit lumpy, as the vinegar will curdle the milk.
3. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl, then add the salt and sugar. Stir to combine.
4. To the milk mixture, add the vegetable oil, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extract and stir.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold in. Keep folding until just combined, do not over-mix.
6. Portion out the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Gently pop the cupcakes out of the tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Making the icing

1. Using a stand mixer, put the icing sugar, cubed vegan block, lemon extract, and two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the bowl.
2. If you'd like a subtle yellow colour to your icing, add a pinch of turmeric.  It will colour the icing, but you won't be able to taste it.
3. Starting at a slow speed and with a paddle attachment, beat the ingredients until just combined.
4. Increase the speed until the vegan block has softened.
5. Switch to a whisk attachment and beat at a high speed until light and fluffy. If your icing is too thick, you can add more fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Assembling your cupcakes

1. Using a cake corer, or an apple corer, remove a scoop out of the middle of each cupcake. You can use a teaspoon, it will just be a bit messier.
2. Fill up each hole with the cooled lemon curd.
3. Fill up a piping bag with your icing, and ice each cupcake. I used a Wilton 1M tip and created roses.

Place in a covered tin and eat within 3 days. These can be frozen, iced or plain for 3 months. Just leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours to defrost, and then serve at room temperature.

As it's Easter, it would have been a shame to have not shown these off with some pretty bunny rabbit pom pom cake toppers. You can buy your very own set here.