Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

A few years ago, I made a wedding cake for my friends Alyssa and Stephen. Just recently, Alyssa celebrated her 30th birthday. She had a get together in the park with make-your-own sundaes. I offered to bring cupcakes. When I asked her what flavor she wanted, she suggested lemon cupcakes, like her wedding cake. Awesome, lemon meringue cupcakes, here I come!

These cupcakes exceeded my expectations. I was leery of the frosting, since I had tried seven minute frosting before with disastrous results. But it whipped up beautifully, and held its shape after being piped onto the cupcakes. Using a kitchen torch instead of the broiler made toasting the meringue a lot easier to control (and was way more fun).





Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
adapted from My Baking Addiction


2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons (finely grated)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 c lemon curd

Meringue Frosting:
¾ cups plus 1 tablespoons sugar
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 large egg whites, room temperature


Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites.

Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is thoroughly combined. Add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Distribute the batter evenly between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake. Spoon or pipe in a dollop of lemon curd.


For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 c sugar with the water and corn syrup; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, beating to combine. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue frosting.