Instructions

Instructions for the curd:

Puree the persimmons with the lemon zest and juice until smooth. Set aside ¼ C for the buttercream. Pour remaining puree in to a medium saucepan, set aside.

In the top pot of a double boiler or in a bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar and salt. Whisk until thickened and smooth, about 5-6 min. Remove from heat and stir into the saucepan with the persimmon puree. Place pan on stove and heat on medium, stirring until thickened about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add in the cold butter cubes one at a time and stir again until fully incorporated. 

Pour curd into a glass bowl, straining through mesh sieve with a spatula to separate any egg solids,  then press plastic wrap down on the top of the curd to prevent a film from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until cold and set. Chilling overnight is best if you have the time.

Instructions for the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350. 

Line standard muffin pans with paper liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a small bowl, whisk and set aside. 

In bowl of a stand mixer combine sugar and melted butter; add in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

Add the apple sauce and vanilla and mix again, scraping down sides if needed. 

Alternate adding in the flour and apple cider beginning and ending with the flour. 

Once all is combined mix another 30 seconds. Don’t over mix. Divide batter amongst the muffin tins, filling each up about 2/3-3/4 of the way full. 

Bake for 15 min or until a toothpick comes out clean, or the tops bounce back when pressed down lightly. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, cool completely on a wire rack.

Instructions for buttercream:

Set a pan filled with an inch of water on the stove and heat to a simmer. In a bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites, sugar and salt and whisk over simmering water until the mixture reaches 160 deg f. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

Once it reaches 160 deg f immediately remove from heat and set bowl back on stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment slowly raise the speed to high and beat until the bowl is cool to the touch and the mixture is thick and white ( think marshmallow fluff), about 10 minutes. You can either keep the whisk attachment on or switch to the paddle at this point.

With the mixer on medium speed add the butter in one tbsp. at a time until it’s all the butter is in, the frosting may look soupy but don’t worry it will come together.  Slowly raise the speed back up to high and whip until it thickens and you hear and see a difference in texture.  Scrape down the sides as necessary. Add in the persimmon puree and curd and mix on low until it’s all mixed in, if it gets soupy looking again just mix on medium high to get it back to the right texture. 

Assembly of Cupcakes:

Use an apple corer to take out a piece of the center  of cupcake, being careful not to go all the way through the cupcake, then fill with about a tablespoon or so of curd. 

If you don’t have an apple corer you can use a piping bag and a long piping tip and injecting the cupcakes with the filling is fine. I have blown out through the bottom of cupcakes before doing it that way so I stick with the apple corer method. So either way is fine. Just be careful not to use too much pressure. When I use the apple core technique I replace back a small bit of the core I took out on top of the filling so it’s easier to frost.

Once they are all filled, frost the tops with a big swirl of buttercream and drizzle more puree on top. I used a basic pastry bag and a 1M open star tip. Any bag or piping tip would work, or you can just use a spatula. 

These are best eaten at room temp, if chilled set out until they are room temp before serving.