Sweet and sunny, with all the things we love about lemon meringue pie — but in cupcake form. A microwave version of traditional lemon curd saves you time, but doesn’t skimp on flavor. Let’s hear it for Lemon Power!
AMAZING LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg (, room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor ((optional, but adds that signature bakery taste))
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
EASY MICROWAVE LEMON CURD
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
Tip: Four large, juicy lemons should be enough to yield 1 cup of juice.
- For more intense flavor in your curd (, grate the rind of 2 to 4 of the lemons, combine it with the sugar in a food processor, and process until rind is finely ground. Proceed with the recipe as directed.)
MERINGUE
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon Bakewell Cream or cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) sugar
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a 12-cup cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners; spritz the liners lightly with cooking spray.
To make the cupcakes:
- Place the following in the bowl of your mixer: the cake flour blend, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor.
- Add 1/3 cup of the buttermilk.
- Blend the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- The mixture will be thick at first, but will smooth out as you mix.
- Add the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix briefly, if necessary.
- Fill each well of the pan 2/3 full, and bake the cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes, until they’re light golden brown on the edges.
- Remove them from the oven, and immediately transfer them from the pan to a rack.
- Cool completely.
- Prepare the lemon curd according to the recipe, and set it aside to cool and thicken as the cupcakes cool.
- Core each cooled cupcake with a cupcake corer (or an apple corer), leaving a small well in the center of the cake.
- Fill to the brim with cooled lemon filling.
- Fill all cupcakes, then prepare the meringue.
To make the meringue: In a very clean work bowl, whip the egg whites and bakewell cream or cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
- Add the salt.
- Gradually add the sugar, increasing the whipping speed and continuing to whip until the mixture is light and billowy, and stiff peaks form.
- Mound or pipe meringue onto each cupcake, then toast the meringue with a cook’s torch; or carefully broil until golden brown.
- Serve warm, for a flowing lemon lava; or cool for a more set filling.
- Courtesy of KingArthurFlour
