cupcakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry sauce
1/4 cup milk
Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk and strawberry sauce together. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/strawberry sauce mixture and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes). Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F until a cake tester comes out clean.
Muffin Tins and Cupcake Papers
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons liquid red food coloring (Add more for desired darkness)
2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. .
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, mix milk and vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes curdling will occur. Then add the oil, eggs, food coloring and vanilla to the milk mixture, whisking until mixed.
Using a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the paddle until just combined.
Divide the cake batter evenly into the tins – about 3/4 full. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Chocolate icing
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
White icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cupcakes
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup buttermilk
For chocolate icing:
Bring cream and corn syrup just to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla; whisk until melted and smooth.
For white icing:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Let both icings stand 1 1/2 hours at room temperature to thicken.
For cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Mix cake flour, baking powder, and salt in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Gradually beat in egg mixture. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each.
Divide batter among cups. Bake until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.
Spread chocolate icing over half of each cupcake. Spread white icing on second half of each cupcake. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar, plus more for decorating
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, plus thin strips of peel for garnish
2 large eggs plus 4 egg whites, at room temperature
One 10- to 12-ounce jar lemon curd
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line mini-muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup sugar and the lemon peel and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides between additions. On low speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients, then a third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, alternating ingredients, until the batter is smooth.
3. Spoon the batter into each liner, about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
4. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the egg whites. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl, and heat just until the sugar dissolves, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
5. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over each cupcake and dollop the meringue on top. Toss the lemon peel strips in sugar to coat, and place one on each cupcake.