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If there are any of you out there who don’t believe in the almighty power of the Meyer lemon…

…well then maybe you should leave now and forever hold your peace.  (But only if you pinky swear promise to come back on Monday.  Deal?  Kloveyoubye!)

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Because what I’m about to tell you is that.

Even with this whole “spring forward” situation, which allows you to go for a run at 6:30 pm, do a whole loop of Central Park, and return home an hour later in broad daylight, thus saving your mother much grief and anguish (because no matter how many times you tell her that the park is absolutely riddled with other runners at all times in all weather, she is convinced you are running down some deserted 6 mile long alleyway.  In the middle of Manhattan. Right.).

…we are about to enter the dark ages.

Yes, it’s true.  The end of Meyer lemon season is nigh.

Let’s have a moment of silence, shall we?

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And then let’s make cupcakes.

Because while Meyer lemons are really and truly a winter fruit…they somehow make everything they touch taste like sunshine.

And when you spend most of your day in a lab that has exactly one window that lets in barely even a glimmer of light……that extra hour we just got?  So not cutting it.

You need to get your rays in edible form.  I get you.

Plus these are kinda sorta perfect for Easter.  As are these recipes:
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Italian Easter Bread
Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Lasagna
Pasta Super Salad
Bulgur and Kale Casserole with Yogurt Topping
Spring Pesto Panzanella
Carrot, Dill and White Bean Salad
New York Cheesecake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Topping
Pink Lady Cupcakes
Carrot Cake Cookies
Meyer Lemon Bars
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Meyer Lemon Rosemary Sticky Buns

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The winner of the Eat Your Books lifetime membership giveaway is Becca of Amuse Your Bouche!  Becca, I’ll be emailing you today!

And now, onto today’s giveaway.

Have you heard of Del Monte’s Crown the Cook Contest?  Basically, all you have to do is submit an original recipe before April 22nd that you feel is crown-worthy and that features one or more of Del Monte’s canned fruit, vegetable or tomato products (full list of products here).  If your recipe is selected as one of the top three finalists, you will win a year’s supply of Del Monte products as well as a four day trip for you and one guest to San Francisco to compete in a cook-off against two other fans!  SF is a major foodie city.  With some of the best ice cream on earth.  And my best friend lives there.  You want this.

Then, the grand prize winner will win…thousands of dollars of professional cookware!!

For official contest rules, click here.

To get you started in recipe developing and brainstorming, Del Monte has been kind enough to offer to send one of my readers a Crown the Cook basket that includes 9 of Del Monte’s canned goods, a Del Monte apron, a set of measuring spoons, a Del Monte plate, some cute little Del Monte stress-relieving toys, as well as a $20 Visa card to use towards ingredients.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling me what your favorite spring/summer dessert is!  (And if you do not have a blog please also leave me a way to contact you!!)

Happy weekend!

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Meyer Lemon Cupcakes
Makes 21, adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups AP flour, sifted
  • 1 tbsp finely grated Meyer lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 oz lowfat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 large eggs, room temperature (I used 3 eggs and 2 tbsp egg beaters
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  • Lemon curd (recipe below)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, zest, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the cream cheese.  Reduce the speed to low, and then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until just combined after each.
  3. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.  Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling about 3/4.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack completely before removing cupcakes.
  4. To finish, dust cupcakes with confectioners’ sugar.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip with curd.  Insert tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze some curd below the top to fill the inside.  Squeeze some more curd on top of the cupcakes so it’s a little pool of lemony deliciousness.  Refrigerate filled cupcakes or leave at room temp for up to one hour.

Lemon Curd
Makes about 2 cups, adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (either Meyers or regular lemons)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Instructions

  1. Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat.
  2. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.  Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl.  Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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115 Responses to Meyer Lemon Cupcakes with Meyer Lemon Curd…and a GIVEAWAY!

  1. So are Meyer lemons really THAT much better than regular? I’ve never had them. Maybe I should get some before the season slips away! These cupcakes look amazing! I’ve never made lemon curd.

  2. These look fantastic! Is this the same as your other meyer lemon curd recipe?

  3. vanilla ice cream with pineapple

  4. OohLookBel says:

    How sunshiney happy are these cupcakes?!? Love them.

  5. Sarah Toasty says:

    i believe! i made meyer lemon pudding cakes this week!

    your curd looks divine . . .

  6. Oh man, these cupcakes look awesome! Lemon is a perfect springtime flavor. Speaking of lemon, my favorite spring/summer dessert is these lemon cupcakes with a raspberry filling and a lemon buttercream frosting that I make. Mmmmmm…. Fun giveaway!

  7. Simply Life says:

    I never usually crave lemon in dessert form but you may be convincing me 🙂

  8. Meyers are back, and I still haven’t tried them. Finding meyers here would almost be like a treasure hunt, I might as well look for the pot of gold. Happy easter.

  9. Adrienne says:

    Good god I love the look of these cupcakes. I have been inhaling anything lemon lately, so yes please! My favorite summer dessert is a peanut butter soft serve cone rolled in chocolate sprinkles which I get at least every couple weeks or so at our local ice cream place. So. In.sane.ly. GOOD!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Those meyer lemons look delicious! I could eat them right now! My favorite spring/summer dessert is Key Lime pie- can’t go wrong with that

    Liz, [email protected]

  11. Blond Duck says:

    So delicious! Have a great Easter!

  12. Debbie says:

    I love meyer lemons and have only recently discovered them. Those cupcakes look delicious and are so perfect for right now!!!! My favorite spring/summer dessert would have to be good old ice cream….mint chocolate chip!

  13. I really need to try these cupcakes! Yum!

  14. You are killing me with this recipe…”little pools of lemony deliciousness’? Could it get any better?

  15. Kari says:

    I always make carrot cake for my husband’s birthday in April. That reminds me of spring everytime.

  16. Andrew's Mom says:

    I love a citrusy cheesecake! Great look cupcakes and great giveaway!

  17. Lynn says:

    Yummm – I might have to swing by the international farmers market to see if there are Meyer lemons there. Or maybe Whole Foods.

    My favorite spring / summer dessert is strawberry shortcake with real shortcake. 🙂

  18. Danielle says:

    i relish in rhubarb this time of year.

  19. bellini says:

    This just evoke thoughts of Spring, warm weather and daffodils. Great way to kickstart my day.

  20. Mary says:

    These look amazing! I am loving that color. Just seeing them makes me happy, I can only imagine how delicious they are!

    My favorite dessert would have to be Lemon Crinkle Cookies. I simply adore everything about them!

  21. Louisa says:

    MMM, meyer lemons!

    I am not grieving the end of their season too much-I have been stashing up juice and zest all winter in the freezer, so i will have some of that deliciousness for summer baking. Yum.

  22. The yellow looks so perfect I want it on a t-shirt! YUM!

  23. Your meyer lemon cupcakes look delish! I’m so jealous! I want to run, well walk around Central Park. Sigh… I want to come to New York!

    My favorite spring dessert is a toss up between strawberry shortcake and frozen yogurt topped with fruit.

  24. Erica says:

    Wow! They look like pieces of heaven! I am drooling here!Happy Easter,Joanne!

  25. kelsey says:

    My favorite spring dessert are lemon bars. Man I can never get enough of those!

  26. JC says:

    I like Mango Tart
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

  27. Saguna says:

    Mmm, lemon curd cupcakes! That Del Monte contest sounds pretty cool, too- my favourite summer dessert is a banana split. It’s more like a meal…but that’s beside the point.

  28. Ben says:

    Hmmm Meyer lemons, forgive my drooling all over the screen 😀

  29. holy carbs! how gorgeous is that shot with grated lemon zest…

  30. SallyBR says:

    My favorite Spring dessert is a lemon yogurt cake. Simple, no frosting, just a dusting with powdered sugar.

    now, where’s the prize? Oh, shoots… I’ve got serious competition!

    (sigh)

  31. omg Joanne, those look like a dream! I d love to pop in a few cupcakes to satisfy my taste buds. =P

  32. Anne says:

    It’s funny that lemons just seem like spring to me! However, I’m torn between strawberry shortcake (my family always uses biscuits which is amazing) and peach cobbler. Yum, that makes me want summer to come soon!

  33. Amy says:

    I came “this” close to planting a meyer lemon tree this season, but blew my budget on herbs and veggies. Paul also reminded me how many friends bring me meyer lemons and “do I really need my own?” he asked. To which I answered “YES! Of course I do!” Those cupcakes. Dyiiiing!

  34. Julie says:

    I love lemon meringue pie especially my mom’s thanks for the giveaway
    [email protected]

  35. Sara says:

    Those cupcakes look amazing! My favorite spring dessert is homemade strawberry ice cream.

  36. Mmmm…these look awesome. Meyer Lemon Curd is actually one of my new obsessions. LOVE IT! My favorite Spring desserts usually consist of something lemony or something with coconut like Lemon Bars, Lemon Meringue Pie, or a Fresh Coconut Tart. Mmmm… Or perhaps a Strawberry Meringue pie.

  37. o you…no, I mean, o MY…these look deadly sexy and delicious!

  38. LESantay says:

    I love strawberry shortcake, you can’t beat in season fresh berries!
    [email protected]

  39. MS2 says:

    My favorite spring/summer dessert doesn’t have a specific name, but it is a wonderful layering of pretzels, cream cheese and strawberry jello. It sounds weird at first, but it is a FANTASTIC combo of salty, sweet and creamy. MMmmmm!

    It’s also great for putlucks.

    Here is the recipe:
    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pretzel-dessert-2/

  40. It looks like we share a mutual love for Meyer lemons. Somehow, my meyer lemon tree coughs up lemons beyond winter. I’m grateful for that. Would you believe that ice cream is my favorite spring dessert? (actually year-round). I’m making Meyer lemon curd, this weekend, to make my lemon curd ice cream. Goes great with anything. Bomb!

  41. can you tell them to include the poor neighbours of canada, please? lol

  42. ahh Joanne these look so good! Have a wonderful Easter !
    Enjoy! 🙂

  43. These look amazing! I love that they kind of look like eggs too, so they’re even more perfect for Easter! My favourite spring dessert would have to be anything with lemon, so these would be great!

  44. They look amazing! Meyer Lemon season is never over for me, I stock up and freeze them. My fave dessert would be lemon custard cakes but then again flourless choc cake or creme brulee? I like it all!!

  45. I totally want that jar of meyer lemon curd to eat straight from the jar!

  46. Cupcakes look amazing! So, my favorite summer dessert is pineapple millionaire pie…no bake, totally cool and creamy, perfect to eat after a spicy seafood boil.

  47. Pam says:

    Please e-mail me immediately so I can give you my mailing address so you can send these cupcakes to me pronto. Thankyouverymuch! xoxo

    Nothing better than lemon curd!

  48. Tracee says:

    I too have been mourning the end of Meyer lemons for this year. In fact, just today I juiced the last dozen and planned out what I was going to make over the weekend. At the top of my list is my favorite no bake lemon pie. It is so dang easy to throw together that it should be illegal. The only downside is waiting for it to get cold!

    That would be my favorite summer dessert…but I eat it all year long too. Does that count? Actually, anything lemon. All things lemon. Lemons. Lemons. Lemons.

  49. Kristin says:

    I love homemade ice cream…peach, cherry, banana nut, strawberry…if it’s homemade, I love it!

  50. Megan says:

    I’ll take a few dozen, please and thank you! I love lemon curd. And they look gorgeous!

  51. Lea Ann says:

    The photos of that lemon curd are just beautiful Joann! My favorite dessert is ice cream! Plain and simple. 🙂 Great give away.

  52. Lemon and dessert. 2 things that are so perfect together! Right up there with caramel and salt!

  53. Mari says:

    I like strawberry shortcake made with fruit from my own garden.

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

  54. Andrea says:

    Ooh, fruit salad. Especially with nectarines!

  55. Such gorgeous tarts, luv, and so very, very springy. 🙂 My favorite spring dessert is Strawberry Snow – heavy cream whipped with strawberries and lemon zest. Yum. 🙂

  56. Gloria says:

    I love lemon curd and these look amazing!! gloria
    and I love all what has berries! specially blackberries!

  57. First, I have to say your cupcakes look gorgeous. Not to mention delicious 😀
    In the summer months there’s nothing better to me than fresh fruit. I love mixing up fruit salads with whatever’s available.

  58. Laura says:

    Indeed lemon is out of this world-especially in these cupcakes! My favorite dessert this time of year is Strawberry Shortcake-I’ve been pondering making a recipe of my own. Have a wonderful Easter weekend Joanne!

  59. Kim says:

    I love to layer vanilla custard with crushed up cookies and fresh fruit in the summer. For the 4th of July I use all red and blue berries!

  60. brocstar says:

    I’ve never had a meyer lemon. (I know, shame.) I actually don’t even know what is so special about them. I saw them at the store but they were expensive so I didn’t buy any.
    Iced coffee is my favorite spring/ summer food.

  61. Anything with lemon! These look scrumptious- I actually found Meyer lemons locally this year. I have a few hiding in my refrigerator, maybe enough for cupcakes. 🙂

  62. These cupcakes are so pretty. And I seriously could not get enough Meyer lemons in my diet. Unfortunately, I bought 1 bag from Trader Joe’s and they stopped selling them all of a sudden. It’s been incredibly frustrating. And I just can’t go back to regular lemons since I tried the meyer lemons!

    Anyway, thanks for the awesome giveaway. My favorite spring/summer dessert is strawberry cake 🙂

  63. I love lemon curd, Meyer lemon curd, even better! Now I wish I had more time to rethink my Easter dessert. Happy Easter, Joanne!

  64. Oh, Joanne, you have committed the 8th deadly food blogger sin: not showing the inside of your baked goods. Boohoo. 🙁 I will forgive you however, if you promise to let me win the contest. 😉 My favorite spring or summer dessert is strawberry shortcake…either that or lemon bars. BTW your cupcakes look tremendous!

  65. grace says:

    since i’m anti-lemon, my favorite springy dessert is hummingbird cake. even though i’m anti-lemon (not to be confused with anti-liz-lemon, which i most assuredly am not), these look great!

  66. Anash says:

    my favorite dessert is watermelon! Thanks for a super giveaway!
    My email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com

  67. Alessandra says:

    The cupcakes look yum!! Is the contest open worldwide? I live in New Zealand 🙂

    Ciao and happy Easter
    Alessandra
    http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/

  68. Margarita says:

    My favorite summer dessert are fruit tarts… With whatever summer fruit topping I can get my hands on… Cherries, berries, peaches, melons…

  69. Catherine says:

    Dear Joanne, I love just about anything lemon. These cupcakes look perfect for the Easter season. Happy Easter to you and your loved ones. Blessings my dearest. Catherine xoxo

  70. That Girl says:

    We recently got a Meyer lemon tree. I sense a lot of these cupcakes in our future if I don’t kill it.

  71. Claudia says:

    Those cupcakes are so darn cute – little eggalikes, but tastier I’m sure. My favorite summer dessert is a Pavlova, topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

  72. Kalyn says:

    Oh my, I am drooling. You don’t need to enter me in the giveaway, but my favorite dessert any time of year would be something with lemon or lime.

  73. Reeni says:

    Oh edible sunshine I love you! These look absolutely luscious. Blueberry pie is my favorite spring dessert. Happy Easter! xoxo

  74. I love fresh strawberries and am so happy we get Florida strawberries starting in February!

  75. Kristen says:

    Having just gone through my first winter in Florida, I have been thrilled beyond measure with the citrus. Any yet, I have not tried Meyer lemons. What have I been thinking?!

    My favorite spring treats involve strawberries. I just cannot get enough of them at this time of year.

  76. sophia says:

    I’m seriously LOVING your pictures, Joanne! They are amazing enough to be developed into cookbooks.

  77. Dawn says:

    Lemon desserts are the best thing in summer! I have a little Meyer lemon tree but it only got one lemon. She is still small yet.

  78. Hotly Spiced says:

    Another brilliant recipe beautifully styled and perfectly photographed. It’s always a joy visiting your blog Joanne. Happy Easter to you and your family xx

  79. Elizabeth says:

    So, I’ll send you my address and you can send a shipment, OK? 😉

  80. Monet says:

    This looks lovely. And what a great giveaway? My favorite spring dessert is certainly the spring and pistachio tart I recently posted on my blog. It is heaven on a plate! (Much like these gorgeous yellow cupcakes!) Thank you for sharing, sweet friend. A lovely way to begin my Easter Sunday. I hope you have a happy day!

  81. Mary says:

    These are miniature treasures. They look delicious, Joanne and they would certainly be a wonderful additionto the Easter dessert table. I hope you get to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  82. Sarah says:

    i love lemon bars in the summer! but i gotta try these cupcakes now. 🙂 too bad i didn’t see them when i was planning easter dinner…

  83. I love lemon desserts, and always have frozen lemon bars stash in the freezer almost all year. A beautiful blog, I’d be back soon! Happy Easter!

  84. Lisa says:

    I’m all for ice cream!

  85. no need to enter me in the contest.
    the meyer season is almost over?
    i never know these things.
    isn’t it always on in cali?

  86. Hannah says:

    The one thing I will miss about winter will be the citrus, that’s for sure… But the abundance of berries more than makes up for it! I’m really looking forward to fruity sorbets, and pavlovas with raspberries, and grasshopper pie, and… Well, I could go on endlessly. I just love spring and summer sweets.

  87. Julie says:

    Love, love, love Meyer Lemons. My son and his girlfriend have one in their backyard (in Los Angeles). I am so envious.

    These look beautiful and delicious!

  88. These look awesome! I dell in love with these lemons when we lived in California!

  89. Katie says:

    That lemon curd sounds just fantastic. I’ve never cooked with Meyer lemons before. My favorite spring or summer dessert is strawberry shortcake.

  90. Johanna GGG says:

    pretty yellow lemon pictures but lemon cupcakes aren’t my thing – yet I love my meyer lemon tree – just I think maybe the lemons need to be hidden a bit more – hope you had a great easter

  91. I adore lemon curd! One of my favorite spring desserts is simply tiny, sweet strawberries dipped in lemon curd. And, of course, meyer lemon curd is even better! Your cupcakes look fantastic!

  92. Anonymous says:

    favorite spring dessert? rhubarb crumble – yummmmm. or just stewed rhubarb over the some ice w/ a sprinkling of granola.

    jacquieastemborski AT comcast DOT net

  93. JasmyneTea says:

    This looks so good! Although I have to admit I’ve never had Meyer lemon, I’ve never seen them down here in Oz.

  94. Can you just come over and make these for me?! Pretty please… I love Meyer lemons. Hopefully some local ones will be out and about soon. 😉

  95. That would definitely have to be strawberry shortcake! Mmmmm. Although those look really good too!

  96. Barbara says:

    Yummy on my tummy!! 🙂 These look fabulous, Joanne.
    My favorite summer dessert? Rhubarb ice cream, of course!

  97. these are almost too beautiful to eat!! I do love some lemon!

  98. Shannon says:

    i just brought home 3lbs for my mom as she’s had a tough time finding them 🙂 I might have to get some more, too…

  99. Jenna says:

    Man, I never DID hop on the Meyer lemon train! Must rectify . . .
    As for my favorite spring/summer dessert, I have to go with the simplest and best: fresh berries with freshly whipped cream (or liquid heavy cream) and sugar on top! It doesn’t get better than that.

  100. Juliana says:

    Oh Joanne, this are the cupcakes that I like…lemon and lemon…they look beautiful and so flavorful.
    Thanks for this great recipe and hope you have a wonderful week ahead 🙂

  101. These look like just about the best lemon cupcakes I have ever seen. Happy easter and sorry about the end of lemon season

  102. vianney says:

    oh heaven, sheer heaven … Kloveyoubye… off to make these babies!!

  103. Candace says:

    Meyer Lemons are some of the best things in life. Yes, ma’am. Your photos are so gorgeous! They look amazing, Joanne. Yum!

  104. Carolyn Jung says:

    These are beauts! And since they’re lemon, that’s fruit, so they’re good for me, right? I’m sure if I eat a dozen I won’t ever get scurvy. 😉

  105. Kristina says:

    I’ve found several meyer lemon recipes over the last couple of months since I knew they were in season…but I haven’t been able to find meyer lemons anywhere!

  106. I love the brightness of these. Theyre like happiness in a cupcake 🙂

  107. My favorite spring/summer dessert is my stepdad’s strawberry pie! I’m pretty positive he got it off the back of a cool whip container, but it’s fantastic regardless 🙂

    I’m bookmarking this both because the lemon cupcakes look fantastic, and because I think this would be a cool contest to enter!

  108. It took me half and hour to scroll down to leave a comment…LOL…these are so perfect and living in New York you are a neighbor and neighbors share…

  109. Oh my, they look wonderful! I long to try a Meyer lemon one day. Sigh.

  110. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I love lemon. I have been searching for a lemon cupcake recipe to add to my go to cupcake recipes. Thank you.

  111. Nicole, RD says:

    I have 2 lbs of Meyer lemons on hand. Obviously this is a no-brainer 🙂

  112. Good luck with your contest, so many readers, so many entrants and so many great ideas… Me, I have a lemon bar recipe that SCREAMS summer!

    Dave
    Occasionally Year on the Grill
    But mostly eRecipeCards.com

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