It's a special day, friends! Not only do I have cupcakes to share, but it's also my husbands birthday! We take birthdays quite seriously in my family, choosing not just to celebrate on the actual day of, but the entire week! I've heard comments from those around me that it's silly, but honestly, I'll never turn down an opportunity to celebrate someone special, and you can bet I'll never turn down a chance for cupcakes!
One of my husbands absolute favorite desserts is lemon meringue pie, so I decided to incorporate his love for the dessert into cupcake form! I used a basic vanilla cake recipe by my girl Sally Mckenny from Sally's Baking Addiction, and matched it with some delicious lemon curd and toasted meringue frosting! You get all the feels of a lemon meringue pie, but in festive tiny cake form!
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yields: 3 dozen cupcakes
Cupcake ingredients
3 and 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
Lemon curd
4 egg yolks
Zest from 2 lemons
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoon unsalted butter
Meringue frosting
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
Directions 1.preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners. 2.Whisk your cake flour, salt,baking powder, and baking soda together before setting aside. 3.Using a stand mixer, beat your butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add your eggs and egg whites one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. With the mixer on low, add your dry ingredients until mostly incorporated. After, slowly add your buttermilk and allow the mixture to come together. Scoop the batter into the cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. 4. To make the lemon curd, place a small bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Add your sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt, and whisk until blended. As the curd cooks continue whisking so that the eggs do not scramble and until you have a thick texture. Transfer the curd to a heat proof bowl and mix in your butter before allowing to cool. 5.While the cupcakes are cooling make your meringue frosting. Place another heat proof bowl over simmering water, and combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Your mixture should become frothy, before removing from the heat and using a mixer to whisk until stiff peaks form. Add your vanilla towards the end, and continue beating until you have your desired consistency. Add the frosting to a piping bag, and use when cupcakes have cooled. 6. To assemble your cupcakes, use a spoon, piping tip, or a cupcake corer to scoop out the center of your cooled cupcakes. Make sure that when scooping the cake out you don’t hit the bottom, or your curd will leak out. Scoop your cooled lemon curd into the cupcake, before finally piping your meringue frosting on. Char the top of the frosting using either a kitchen torch or setting the cupcakes under the broiler for about a minute. Allow to cool, and enjoy!
Comments