Lemon Queen Cakes: A Birthday Tradition Fit for a King
Lemon Queen Cakes take the throne.
Why Lemon Always Wins
The decision to make these lively lemon cupcakes was obvious. My son was coming home for his birthday dinner. This young man has chosen lemon cupcakes for his birthday treat for as long as I can remember (once he was done with Thomas the Tank Engine cakes).
He was turning twenty five this year, so that’s a lot of lemon cupcakes. I’ll also add that every year, my husband is less than excited for my son’s cupcake choice. For the most part, we are a solid chocolate family, but my very particular, (not so) little train- and dinosaur-loving boy has always loved lemon cake. Not just any lemon cake, but lemon cake with lemon curd filling. And homemade. Always homemade.
The other thing that spoke to me about this vintage recipe was that the cupcakes were pictured in lovely green teacups. Green, coincidentally, is my son’s favorite color (since the time he could name colors). Sadly, I couldn’t find green oven-safe teacups. White sufficed.
Tea Cups, Egg Whites, and a Little Intimidation
At first glance, one might think this recipe could be fussy. I mean, teacups? That seems fancy in itself.
The billowy, lightly toasted mounds of meringue? Some people are scared of meringue. Not this mama. I was only afraid the meringue would be scoffed at as a replacement to blueberry cream cheese frosting.
The title itself says “Queen Cakes”. What is that? Does that mean fit for a queen? Spoiler alert: they were.
The Quiet Power of Egg Whites
There is a definite egg white moment going on in this recipe—whipped egg whites in the batter and more whipped egg whites to craft the meringue. In my opinion, the magic of egg whites is understated. This lowkey ingredient can actually be somewhat flamboyant in the dessert world. Just ask a royal icing, macarons, angel food cake, or in this case, meringue.
For as much ethereal delight as egg whites can add to a sweet confection, they are very easy to work with.
The Gentle Art of Folding
My challenge? Folding! I had to smirk thinking about the Schitt’s Creek episode where Moira (rest her beautiful soul, speaking of queens) and David are tasked with folding cheese while making enchiladas. Their confusion was hilarious.
In my case, I fully understand what folding means in the culinary world, but that doesn’t mean I’m adept at it. The finesse required for the gentle incorporation of the beaten egg whites into the thin batter was my biggest challenge, but I overcame.
The Real Magic—At the Bottom of the Cup
In my assessment, there were two stunners in these finished queens. The obvious show-stopper was the lovely, flowy topping. It made these little beauties pastry shop worthy.
The not-so-obvious element that sets these cakes apart? The delicate, airy batter baked up into a fine lemony cake, for sure, but in the bottom of the cup was a creamy, puckery pudding. No separate lemon curd prep required.
In the end, my son got a similar birthday cupcake, only fancier, with less work on my part. To be honest, I think I prefer this lemon cake over my own popular recipe.
The Transcend Moment: Love is the Extra Ingredient
These lovely little cakes were a joy to bring to life. Sunny and bright—it was a nice contrast to a frigid, windy Midwest winter day, for one. But I think overall, putting my time and love into these sweet treats didn’t feel like work at all.
Why?
Because I knew how much my son would appreciate the extra touch. I pictured his sweet little childhood smile on his special day. His smile is sweet every day, but I think it shines even brighter on the day he came to life because we make that extra effort to elevate the day.
Perhaps I didn’t want to accept that he’s celebrating his 25th birthday. Perhaps that’s another reason I wanted his lemon cupcakes to be special (and decorated his presents with dinosaurs). It makes me smile that he still gives his mama a hug and a kiss, even after a quarter-century of life.
There will always be extra love added to lemon cupcakes in January.