Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
I have family coming to stay this weekend and I planned to make a huge pavlova for everyone but then I looked in the fridge and realised I had a lot of lemons. So I decided to make Lemon Meringue Cupcakes using a slightly altered recipe from a book called Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman. I really like lemon and I always find that lemon-flavoured cake recipes use too much sugar and overpower the poor lemon so I mainly reduced the sugar content. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
Start by making what she calls Lemon Cream but it looks like Lemon Curd to me... Can you even call it Lemon Cream if it contains no cream?
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar (book says 150g)
3 tbsp plain flour
pinch of salt
60 ml lemon juice (roughly all the juice of a large lemon)
grated rind of 1 lemon
120ml water
3 egg yolks (keep whites for making meringue later)
65g unsalted butter
Method:
1) Mix flour, salt and sugar in large bowl then add lemon juice and rind and mix well.
2) Beat in water, egg yolks and butter (don't worry if butter is still lumpy)
3) Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir constantly with whisk until mixture is smooth and thick (around 15 minutes)
Next make the cupcakes:
Ingredients:
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp grated lemon rind (about 2 large lemons)
125g unsalted butter
100g sugar (book says 200g)
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons (book says 2 tbsp lemon juice)
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4.
2) Mix flour, bakng powder, salt and lemon rind together.
3) Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs then lemon juice.
4) Beat in flour misture until batter is smooth.
5) Spoon into cupcake cases and cook in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
6) Leave to cool for 10 minutes
My cupcakes turned out rather pale. I tested them with a skewer and they were cooked properly so maybe it was all the lemon juice? The reason I added so much was actually an accident. I juiced the 2 lemons after zesting them and I just poured the whole lot in :)
Finally the meringue! It's the soft chewy kind so it won't go everywhere when you bite into the cupcake.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
a few teapoons of sugar for dusting
Method:
1) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they start to stiffen
2) Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff but not dry
3) Use a sharp knife to cut a cone out of the top of the cupcakes, cut a bit off the cone, fill the hole with lemon curd and put the lid back on.
4) Top with a tablespoon of meringue and form peaks with a fork or back of spoon.
5) Put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
My efforts!
Inside
Start by making what she calls Lemon Cream but it looks like Lemon Curd to me... Can you even call it Lemon Cream if it contains no cream?
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar (book says 150g)
3 tbsp plain flour
pinch of salt
60 ml lemon juice (roughly all the juice of a large lemon)
grated rind of 1 lemon
120ml water
3 egg yolks (keep whites for making meringue later)
65g unsalted butter
Method:
1) Mix flour, salt and sugar in large bowl then add lemon juice and rind and mix well.
2) Beat in water, egg yolks and butter (don't worry if butter is still lumpy)
3) Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir constantly with whisk until mixture is smooth and thick (around 15 minutes)
Next make the cupcakes:
Ingredients:
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp grated lemon rind (about 2 large lemons)
125g unsalted butter
100g sugar (book says 200g)
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons (book says 2 tbsp lemon juice)
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4.
2) Mix flour, bakng powder, salt and lemon rind together.
3) Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs then lemon juice.
4) Beat in flour misture until batter is smooth.
5) Spoon into cupcake cases and cook in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
6) Leave to cool for 10 minutes
My cupcakes turned out rather pale. I tested them with a skewer and they were cooked properly so maybe it was all the lemon juice? The reason I added so much was actually an accident. I juiced the 2 lemons after zesting them and I just poured the whole lot in :)
Finally the meringue! It's the soft chewy kind so it won't go everywhere when you bite into the cupcake.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
a few teapoons of sugar for dusting
Method:
1) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they start to stiffen
2) Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff but not dry
3) Use a sharp knife to cut a cone out of the top of the cupcakes, cut a bit off the cone, fill the hole with lemon curd and put the lid back on.
4) Top with a tablespoon of meringue and form peaks with a fork or back of spoon.
5) Put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
My efforts!
Inside