Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
Why I Love This Recipe
These are my personal favourite and are perfect for a novice cake decorator. A light, zesty cupcake is filled with a tart lemon curd and topped with the requisite meringue. I like to pipe spikes and swirls on top of the cupcakes, but a simple dollop would look just as lovely. Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for 4 hours or chilled for 1 day.
Ingredients You'll Need
LEMON CURD:
1/3 cup (75 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 whole large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
CUPCAKES:
2 cups (500 ml) pastry flour
2 1/2 tsp (12 ml) baking powder
3/4 tsp (4 ml) salt
1/3 cup (75 ml) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (250 ml) 2% milk
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon zest
MERINGUE:
3 large egg whites
1/2 tsp (2 ml) cream of tartar
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
Directions
For Lemon Curd, whisk lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a metal bowl until smooth. Add butter and place bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Whisk gently until curd thickens and leaves a ribbon when whisk is lifted, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Stir in lemon zest and chill completely before filling.
For Cupcakes, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Line 2 muffin tins with paper cups. Sift pastry flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine milk and lemon zest. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions. Fill paper cups just over halfway and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until cake springs back when touched and only just begins to colour. Allow to cool completely.
For Meringue, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar and continue whipping until egg whites hold an upright peak when beaters are lifted.
To assemble, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Remove cupcakes from muffin tin and place on a baking sheet. Carve out a hole in each cupcake with a paring knife (discard or snack on scraps). Spoon or pipe 2 tbsp (25 mL) of lemon curd into each cupcake. Spoon dollops or pipe spikes or swirls of meringue over curd. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes, until tops of meringues brown.
