Meringue Topped Spice Cupcakes Food

MARY BERRY'S LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with cases.
• Put the sponge ingredients into a bowl and whisk using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Spoon the mixture evenly between the cases. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden-brown, risen and springy to the touch. Set aside to cool completely.
• Cut a deep circle in the centre of each cake (about the width of a £2 coin) and pull out a walnut size of sponge to leave a hole. Spoon 1 teaspoon lemon curd into each hole, making sure the curd is level with the top.
• To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk until stiff. Gradually add the sugar as you continue whisking on full speed, until you have a stiff glossy mixture. Spread or pipe on the top of each cupcake and sit back in their tins.
• Use a chef's blowtorch to brown the meringues or slide the tray under the grill. Watch carefully and remove when golden-brown.
• Sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and lemon zest; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes., Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a very small tip. Fill with pie filling. Push the tip into the top of each cupcake to fill., In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Pipe over tops of cupcakes., Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 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. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) 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.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan or two 24-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; lightly spray the liners with cooking spray. Soak the prunes in a bowl with 3/4 cup hot water until softened, about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth.
• Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the prune puree, brown sugar, eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (it's fine if there are a few lumps).
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes for standard-size cupcakes, or 12 to 14 minutes for minis. Transfer to a rack and let cool in the pan, 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Whisk the egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan. Transfer the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Sift in the cocoa powder and add the vanilla and orange zest; beat to combine. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare the lemon cake mix according to the package instructions to make 24 cupcakes. Let cool completely.
• Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out a well from the top center of each cupcake. Trim the bottoms of the scooped pieces of cake to use as plugs.
• Place about 2 teaspoons lemon curd into the well of each cupcake and plug the hole with the reserved trimmed cake pieces.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Mix the egg whites on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a medium to large round pastry tip. Fill the pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue in a circular motion on top of each cupcake. Transfer the cupcakes to a sheet tray. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue tops until nicely browned, like a toasted marshmallow.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat half the sugar and all the butter until pale, then add whole eggs, one by one, beating in well each time. Stir in the zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, then fold in flour. Check the batter's consistency; it should softly drop off the end of a spoon. Add more lemon juice if it's a bit stiff.
• Line a 12-hole bun tin with cake cases and put 1 large tbsp mix in each. Smooth then make a little dip in the centre. Spoon 1 tsp lemon curd into each dip and cover with 1 tbsp cake mix. Bake for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites into a clean bowl, whisk until stiff peaks form, then whisk in the rest of the sugar a tbsp at a time. Keep whisking until the mixture looks glossy and has thickened a little, like shaving foam. Spoon the mixture into a freezer bag and snip off the end to leave a hole with a 1.5cm diameter.
• Take the cakes out of the oven - tops should be very pale and just firm - then pipe meringue all over the cakes. Return to the oven for 10-15 mins until the cakes are cooked through and meringue lightly browned. Can be made 1 day ahead.

MERINGUE-TOPPED SPICE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add the egg yolks, milk and vanilla; mix well.
• Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture until combined. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
• Add cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold in nuts. Spread about 2 tablespoons over each cupcake.
• Bake 11-12 minutes longer or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

MERINGUE TOPPING

Steps:

• Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved.
• Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.