Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

One of the keys to making a perfect lemon meringue cupcake is to get the right size of case for the cakes. This recipe makes 12 cakes in muffin-sized cases – you can reduce the size and make around 18 fairy cake sized cakes instead, but if you are going to need more than one baking tray to hold the cakes, it can be difficult to manage the icing effectively, as you want to get the hot cakes back into the oven with their topping while the oven is still hot and the meringue topping holds onto all the air you’ve beaten into it. If you can get foil cake cases, there is also less risk of them scorching in the intense heat of the grill.

These cakes take around thirty minutes to prepare. There is no cooling period and cooking takes around thirty minutes but is divided into two stages

Cupcakes

• 100 grams butter at room temperature softened
• 100 grams white caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs
• 100 grams self-raising flour
• Zest of one lemon
• 75 grams lemon curd

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Oven temperatures are crucial to getting this two stage recipe right, so make sure the cakes aren’t cooked at too high a temperature as that can scorch the lemon curd. Put 12 muffin-sized cake cases or 18 fairy cake sized cases in cake trays.
• Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one a time.
• Tip the lemon zest into the flour and mix it around to distribute it – this stops the zest all sinking to the bottom of the cakes as they cook. Now, fold in the flour and lemon.
• Spoon the mixture into the cases – tap very lightly on each case to flatten the mixture a little before topping the batter with a teaspoonful of lemon curd.
• Bake in the centre of the over for 15-20 minutes – they should be a light creamy gold colour and spring back lightly when pressed. They may look slightly undercooked, but as they are going to be re-cooked under intense heat, they need to be a little less than fully cooked now.

Meringue Topping

• 2 egg whites – the fresher the eggs, the more the meringue will peak
• 100 grams caster sugar

Whisk the egg whites – they should form soft peaks form when you lift the whisk from the mixture. This may be easier to do in a food processor. At this point you incorporate the sugar, very gradually, and whisking all the while. When the mixture becomes thick and glossy and stands in stiff peaks when you pull the whisk way, it is ready.

Now turn off the oven, and preheat the grill to the maximum. Use a spoon or palette knife to spread the meringue over the top of the cakes – then use a fork to tease the meringue into spikes before sliding the tray of cakes under the grill for two or three minutes until the meringue topping is golden.

These cakes are best eaten within 24 hours, and shouldn’t be refrigerated or moisture may rise from the meringue and pool on the top of the cakes.

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