It’s really no wonder that Miss Lemon Meringue Cupcake won first place in the annual Miss Cupcake Pageant. Her cupcake is all about sweetness, tartness, and light. The fact that she uses meringue instead of some ol’ butter cream frosting is pure genius (and forgiving on one’s thighs).
Runner up Miss Strawberry Cupcake was a crowd favorite, but alas, her chocolate strawberry cream cupcake is no match for Miss Lemon Meringue.
Third place goes to Little Miss Blackberry Cupcake, who had tried to balance the sweetness of the cupcake with the tartness of the blackberry. She would have won first place if she hadn’t sampled all the cupcakes by licking the icing off all of her entries save one.
Lemon meringue cupcakes
This recipe is from my new favorite blog: http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com
ingredients
125g unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
grated rind 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 cup lemon curd
Meringue
2 egg whites
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
method
Preheat oven to 180 deg.
Cream the butter with sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add lemon rind and juice and mix well. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Sift flour and baking powder together and add to the mix, alternately with the milk.
Spoon into 12 lined muffin tins, filling almost to the top.
Bake in oven for 25 minutes until cakes are lightly browned and cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, scoop a small piece of cake from out of the top and place a spoonful of lemon curd. Top with meringue and brown with a blowtorch, if desired.
To make meringue:
Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites at low speed until they foam, add salt and cream of tartar, increase speed and beat to soft peaks. Reduce speed to low as you prepare sugar syrup.
Bring the sugar and water to a simmer, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and cook until soft ball stage (240F or 116C on a sugar thermometer).
Slowly drizzle the syrup into the egg whites, beating on low speed. Try to avoid the edge of the bowl and the wires of the whisk. Increase speed to medium and keep beating for 10 minutes, until the mixture is cool and the egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
