I just filled cupcakes for the first time .. boxed white cake filled with canned comstock lemon pie filling.  Do these need to be in the fridge or is the counter still ok?

anyone?

I would say look at the comstock label.  Does it say refrigerate after opening?  If so, put them in the fridge.

it does say refrigerate after opening but I wasn't sure if that applied once it was inside a cupcake .. probably a dumb thing to think
 

Everything you open says it has to be refrigerated whether it really does or not.  There's so much sugar in this filling you really don't have to worry about it.  Think danish or any gelled fruit filled pastry.   Sugar is a preservative.   Hanging around overnight will not cause problems. 
 

Yummy...now I want some lemon merengue!

well yeah, that's true!  That thought of store pastries never even crossed my mind!
 

Ai used that for a cake one time and i was told it did not need to be refrigerated because of the sugar.

great, thank you :)
 

i made boxed cupcakes once i had found this amazing recipe and i was skeptical as it was a boxed cake mix with lemon curd filling. i did the filling from scratch and left them in the fridge they came out amazing. you couldnt even tell the cupcakes were from a box

off topic if you want to take a boxed cupcake taste like a bakery cupcake get the ones without the pudding. add in chocolate or vanilla depending on the box you have. you can even add like banna or another flavor. use 1 cup of oil and a half cup of sour cream your cupcakes will come out so moist 

Thank you, great advice!
 

Do you still use the eggs and water the box calls for?  And you just add in the pudding mix dry, right?

I often wonder about the danish pastries too, since the curd is all exposed on those.

Keep in mind, though, that the curd on danish pastries is applied before baking, and when it comes out, it has a gummier surface. I wouldn't say that comparing that with curd straight out of the can is a fair comparison. I don't know if the gummy surface really makes the difference, but it's definitely different anyway.

Well I kept them in the fridge for the most part, but when they were pulled out they did sit out for several hours at a time .. so far, everyone seems to be ok!