Classic Cupcakes With Lemon Meringue Frosting Food

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 standard muffin cups.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Make a well in the center.
• Place the egg and egg yolk in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs together, then stir in the milk, vanilla, and butter. Pour the egg mixture into the well in dry ingredients. Fold in gently until just combined -- batter will be lumpy.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes -- the cakes will only rise a little way up the cups. (Leave the oven on the same temperature).
• Cool the cakes in the muffin tins for about 10 minutes, then loosen with a knife, but leave in the tin.
• Hollow out the center of each cake with a melon baller, being careful not to pierce through the base of the cake.
• Stir the lemon curd well, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain nozzle. Carefully pipe the curd into the cavity of each cake.
• Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add a quarter of the remaining sugar at a time, beating well after each addition, until stiff glossy peaks form.
• Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the meringue mixture on top of each cake and form peaks wit hthe back of a spoon. Sprinkle with a little of the extra sugar over the meringue.
• Return the cakes to the oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue is lightly golden and crisp and the cakes come away slightly from the side of the tin.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack. The meringue topping might come off the cakes when they first come out of the oven, so handle the cakes carefully. The meringue will adhere to the cakes as they cool.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. The cakes are best eaten the day they are made so the meringue stays crispy.

CLASSIC MERINGUE

Steps:

• Combine egg whites and salt in mixing bowl of electric mixer. Beat at medium speed until opaque and loosely foamy. Increase speed to high and add sugar in a slow stream down side of mixer. Beat until stiff and shiny.

WHITE CUPCAKES WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Stir the milk and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the milk mixture and beat until smooth. Repeat, adding flour, then milk, and then the remaining flour, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat briefly to make a smooth batter; set aside.
• Put the egg whites in a clean bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. Fold one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten it and then fold in the remaining whites. Divide the cake batter evenly between the cups of the prepared muffin tin.
• Bake, rotating the tin halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on the rack.
• Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, cream of tartar and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the water and whip with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the meringue is cool and holds a soft peak, about 5 minutes. Add a few drops of desired food coloring to tint the frosting and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.
• Spoon or pipe the frosting decoratively and generously on the cupcakes.
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