Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Okay, part two of our first recipes with the new torch. (See here for part one)

We made S’more Cupcakes and also decided to try the delicious Lemon Meringue Cupcakes from Martha Stewart’s website. They are very lemony! The recipe listed here has only 2 lemons but the original Martha recipe has 3 lemons. This is a great cupcake if you want a fancy looking dessert that isn’t too sweet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a cupcake with icing so it is sweet BUT it’s not as sweet as regular iced cupcakes.

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Lemon Meringue Cupcake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbsp), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

Lemon Curd (we used store bought)

Marshmallow Frosting

8 large egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Put lemon curd on top of or fill the center, up to you!

To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. (Or, core centre of cupcake using an apple corer and fill with lemon curd.

Marshmallow Frosting Directions:

Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Using our new kitchen torch

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Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately. (We set some in the fridge overnight in a covered container and they were fine the next day. The icing did shrink a bit but not too badly)

The mini Lemon Meringue Cupcakes were so cute

Our first two try-outs with the kitchen torch went very well. I am excited to find other things I can use it on. What do you use your kitchen torch for?