Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

 

That one up there in a left got a little charred! It was a lot of fun to use the blowtorch...


I love lemon meringue pies. There are not that many sweet pies that are widely served in Australia, in comparison to the US where when you say pie, it's assumed you mean a dessert. In Australia, when you say pie, people will want to know if you want the tomato sauce on top or on the side.

I simply adore this book. It's an heirloom.

Such awesome photography.

I don't actually make many lemon meringue pies as I love them but Mr. Cakes does not. So if I were to make one, I would eat the whole thing. Probably in one sitting. With a tub of ice cream. And some chocolate. And a brownie.


Sexy lemons.

My lemon meringue pie recipe comes from the 'Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery'. This version was my nanna's and my mum had a copy too. Does everyone's mum have a copy? Was it handed out in the maternity ward? I loved this book and I remember pouring over the retro recipes and the strange way the dishes were presented. But behind the salmon mousse in the fish shaped mould, there are actually a lot of wonderful recipes. They're classics. The lemon meringue pie is one such classic! But because I really would eat the whole pie, I decided to make lemon meringue cupcakes! Portion control, y'all.

I love the yellow colour of this curd, which really comes from the yolk, not the lemon.

I took the lemon filling from the Complete Book of Cookery and paired it with a simple, plain cupcake with a few tablespoons of lemon juice in the batter. I like my lemon curd to be very tart and lemony. When in a cupcake, it won't be overwhelming and too tart, rather it will be a lovely little burst of sunshine.

The cupcakes start like this...

...then they go like this...



...then they go like this!


With these cupcakes, I decided to pair them with a Swiss Meringue. Personally, I get a little weirded out by raw meringue. I love lemon meringue pie but if I start to think about the egg whites being raw, it can totally turn me off my slice.


Perfectly baked little cupcakes.

With Swiss Meringue, the egg whites are cooked with the sugar to 55°C. This just makes me feel better about eating egg whites. Generally, the nasties are just in the yolks and egg whites are safe to eat raw (unless pregnant or in some other delicate state) but just knowing they're cooked reassures me.


Lovely, glossy Swiss Meringue!

I used my go-to vanilla cupcakes from a lovely book I've had for a few years now, 'Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery' and made them into lemon cupcakes. I didn't want them to be hugely citrus flavoured, rather to be subtlety lemony to pair with the curd and meringues.

Lovely, lemony cupcake. I love that melon baller.

A nicely swirled pile of meringue, before being subjected to FIRE!



Action shot! Notice the charring of the cupcake wrapper. Oops!

Try out this cupcake recipe, they're perfect for a morning tea or to take on a visit with friends. The perfect springtime cupcakes! 


Ahhhhhh *angels singing*



A little bit of cupcake styling.





Cupcake and lemon, sitting in a tree...

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue
Adapted from the Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery and Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time:  60 mins

 

Servings: 15 cupcakes

Lemon Curd Filling
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon cornflour
20g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
Rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks, free range

Lemony Cupcakes
110g softened butter
230g caster sugar
2 eggs, free range
150g plain cake flour
125g self-raising cake flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Swiss Meringue
6 egg white, free range
300g caster sugar

Lemon Curd Filling

1. To make lemon curd filling, place water, cornflour, butter, caster sugar, lemon rind and juice in a small saucepan.
2. Whisk over a medium heat until at a fast simmer and then whisk continuously for a further 22 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and stir for another minute then add egg yolks, while continuing to whisk.
4. Allow to cool while you prepare the cupcakes and Swiss meringue.

Lemony Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12-hole cupcake tin.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together until lighter in colour.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flours into one bowl and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, in three lots, starting and finishing with the flour.
5. Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full, or about 50g on scales.
6. Bake for 23 minutes.
7. Allow to cool while you prepare the Swiss Meringue. 

Swiss Meringue

1. Wipe a bowl with a paper towel dampened with lemon juice.
2. Add egg whites to the bowl with the sugar and simmer over a pot of water whisking constantly but gently until temperature reaches 55°C or until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Whisk egg whites and sugar until the meringue is thick and glossy and egg whites have reached room temperature.

Assembly

1. Scoop out a small amount of the cupcakes with a teaspoon or a melon baller. Put the bit aside.
2. Fill cavity with a generous teaspoon of lemon curd filling.
3. Replace the cut-out cupcake piece.
4. Pipe or spoon on the Swiss meringue and pass a kitchen blowtorch over the meringue until nicely golden. Alternatively, place the cupcakes back into a 200°C oven until nicely golden.