Lemon Parma Violet Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I was asked if I'd like to try some of the baking range by Betty Crocker. As I've started featuring more recipes on Gingerbread Smiles, I thought it was great timing and agreed knowing it was pot luck what would arrive at my door. When I opened the package I saw that I had received a lemon cake mix and lemon icing. I was a little disappointed as lemon is probably my least favourite of cake flavours, but I got to work thinking of ideas.

I'd recently bought some parma violets on a whim to use in a recipe for the blog and hadn't got round to using them for anything yet. So I decided that the two would go together, and you know what they did and they taste delicious.

So to make these little beauties you will need:

- A box of Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix

- A tube of Betty Crocker Lemon Icing

- Jar of Lemon Curd

- About 4/5 packs of Parma Violets

- 2 x Icing bags and a nozzle

First, start by making the cakes as per the box instructions. I cooked my cakes for around 20 minutes and they came out a little browned on top but other than that still lovely and moist. When they'd cooled down I got a teaspoon out and used the other end (i.e not the spoon end) to carefully take out the middle of the cake. If you have a cupcake corer you can use this, but I didn't have one at the time so I carved out a small circle in the middle of the top of the cupcake working my way down making sure not to go too far.

Then I filled up my first icing bag with lemon curd and piped this into the little holes I'd just created. Once these were full up with lemon curd, I got the lemon icing from the tub and transferred this to an icing bag. Now depending on how you decided to ice your cakes, you may find the tub doesn't stretch to the number of cakes you have. I know mine didn't although it said it would on the packet. I'd use it sparingly if you don't want to have to buy more, or make some!

Once you've iced your cakes its time for a little Parma Violet decoration. I emptied a packet at a time into a bowl and crushed them with the back of a spoon. Most of them I crushed into dust, but some I left quite a little bit bigger to add to the decoration. Once I'd sprinkled this dust across my cakes I added a full Parma Violet to each cupcake.

And there you have a Lemon Parma Violet Cupcake with a lemon curd filling!

What do you think? Will you be making these?