Vanilla Bean Cupcakes With Lemon Filling, Buttercream Frosting

I am a sucker for all things lemon! So, when I saw these fabulous looking vanilla bean with lemon filling cupcakes from my friend Tana Nelson,  I knew I had to share them with all of my readers. I am excited to have this for my February edition of recipe shares. Remember my January recipe from Tiffany at Joyfully Rooted? The yummy Simple Artisan Bread. If you haven’t tried it yet, I would definitely recommend it as it is perfection.

A little back story before I give you the February recipe. Tana and I met back in July of 2017. I was wanting to start my blog and I had ABSOLUTELY ZERO experience on how to begin. I had heard of Tana and her marketing company, Your Marketing BFF through a few friends so, I thought I would give her a call. Little did I know that the lady on the other end of the line would quickly become a life-long friend.  Tana and I hit it off from the very start. She is a go-getter to the millionth degree and I love that about her. She also has a very giving heart and that bonded me to her immediately. We share so many of the same beliefs and core values and she is such a blessing in my life. I am super excited because I get to go see her in a few days for the very first time in person. We are going to have a complete blast!! And let me tell you this, if you are thinking of starting a blog, Tana is your person. She is SUPER knowledgeable and she will help you a ton!

Alright my friends, on to the recipe. Vanilla bean cupcakes with lemon filling and buttercream frosting, does it get any better y’all?

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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes filled with Lemon and topped with Buttercream Frosting

A delicious vanilla bean cupcake filled with lemon.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 18 cupcakes

Author Tana Nelson

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• For the lemon filling:
• 1 can lemon pie filling and topping I like the Duncan Hines Comstock Lemon Pie Filling and Topping

For the frosting:

• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with wrappers.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time then add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and beat just until the batter is combined.
5. Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full with batter then bake the cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool completely while you make the frosting.

Make the frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the scraped vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract until it is light and fluffy. Add half of the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, then add the heavy cream and remaining confectioners' sugar and continue beating until the frosting is thick and creamy. (See Tana's Notes.)
2. Fill the cupcakes with filling:
3. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, cut out a small hole in the center of each cupcake with a knife – or I like to use a melon baller to carve out a hole. Make sure to not make a hole all the way down to the bottom of the cupcake.
4. Fill the hole with about a teaspoon of the lemon pie filling and then place a small portion of the cut out cupcake back on the top to cover the filling hole like a hat. This way filling is not spilling out all over the top of the cupcake and it’s easier to frost.
5. Frost the cupcakes
6. Once the cupcakes have all been filled with the lemon pie filling and hat covers, top them with the frosting and serve.

Recipe Notes

•  Beating the frosting in between each addition of the confectioners' sugar lightens the color of the frosting and will make it more white in color.
•  If the frosting is too thin, add additional sifted confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time, or if it’s too thick, add additional heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
• If you prefer a very generous amount of frosting that can be piped into tall swirls atop the cupcakes (as shown), double the frosting recipe and refrigerate it for 20 minutes before transferring it to a piping bag and decorating the cupcakes.

I promise you, these are the best vanilla bean cupcakes with lemon filling and buttercream frosting! I hope you enjoy these friends! Have a blessed day!