Wedding Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 large egg yolk 
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 1.5 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
• 0.3 cup juice of lemon (from 2 lemons)
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 cup butter firm
• 26  you will also need: parchment paper 
• 1 box cake mix yellow
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1.5 cup butter softened
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (coarse)
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon 
• 4 teaspoons lemon zest grated
• 3 teaspoons vanilla 
• 5 cups powdered sugar 
• 1 serving purple gel food coloring blue
• 1 serving evaporated cane juice fine

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• sieve
• plastic wrap
• wooden spoon
• aluminum foil
• muffin liners

Directions

1. In 2-quart saucepan, mix all filling ingredients except butter with whisk.
2. Heat to simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of wooden spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Strain sauce through strainer into small bowl. Beat in butter with whisk. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of lemon curd; refrigerate at least 3 hours but no longer than 1 week.
3. Heat oven to 350°F.
4. Remove and discard paper liners from inside foil baking cups, place foil baking cups in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, adding vanilla to batter. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. Fit #6 round tip in decorating bag (opening about 1/8 inch in diameter). Spoon filling into decorating bag. Insert tip in center of cupcake, about halfway down. Gently squeeze decorating bag, pulling upward until cupcake swells slightly and filling comes to the top.
6. In large bowl, beat frosting ingredients on high speed about 3 minutes or until smooth and well blended, adding more lemon juice by teaspoonfuls if needed to get smooth but stiff consistency. Tint frosting with gel food color paste.
7. Fit #1 round tip (opening about 1/2 inch in diameter) into decorating bag. Spoon frosting into decorating bag; use round tip to generously pipe frosting in circular motion, leaving 1/4-inch border around cupcake.
8. Sprinkle with edible glitter.
9. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. If refrigerated, allow cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cupcakes.