Lemon “Bumblebee” Cupcake- Hungry Bear Restaurant, Critter Country

Cupcakes
1 box lemon cake mix

Lemon Curd
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 TBSP unsalted butter

Honey Lemon Frosting
3/4 cup lemon curd
1 tsp honey
1 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Bumblebees
32 Hershey’s Kisses dark chocolate chips
1 small tube black “writing icing” and one tube yellow.

For Cupcakes: prepare cake mix cupcakes according to package directions, filling muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Remove 8 cupcakes and set aside for another use. Set 16 cupcakes aside to cool completely.

For Lemon Curd: Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer.
Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl.

Pour one quarter of simmering lemon-sugar mixture into egg mixture, whisking so that eggs do not cook. Pour contents of bowl back into pan with remaining lemon mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for two minutes, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture and butter, whisking well. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

For Honey Lemon Frosting: stir honey into one bowl of lemon curd. Beat heavy cream on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in Honey Lemon curd. Refrigerate for two hours.

To assemble: Scoop out a small portion from the center of each cupcake using a teaspoon. Place lemon curd in a large plastic zip-top bag cut a small hole in the end. Pipe approximately 2 teaspoons lemon curd into the center of each cupcake.
Place honey-lemon frosting in a separate plastic zip-top bag and cut a medium-size size hole in the end. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake. Top with bumblebee as pictured.

For a Big Hero Six cupcake you can make Baymax’s face. Place 2 Hershey’s Kisses (top side down) into the top of the cupcake for Baymax’s eyes. Use black writing icing to pipe one horizontal line between the 2 Kisses to complete Bayamax’s face. Refrigerate until ready to serve.