Why lemon meringue cupcakes? Well, it was a challenge! I'm not generally a fan of cupcakes, I often find the base too dry and the topping too greasy. The only ones that catch my eye are the Oreo cupcakes from Rachel's cake (which are absolutely killer). Nevertheless, I love challenges and when I saw that the blogging community was launching a cupcake contest, I jumped at the chance and got to work!
I wanted to change things up from what's traditionally done while paying special attention to aesthetics (which isn't my forte in general). It didn't take me long to decide on lemon meringue cupcakes.
The trick to making perfectly flat lemon meringue cupcakes
I went in somewhat blind, but I was looking for a fairly simple and moist base, so I opted for a victoria cake base flavored with lemon (a recipe that's very commonly used in wedding cakes for its simplicity and structure). I tried a trick from a recognized cupcake creator (whose name I forgot) of baking my base at 160° to keep the cake as flat as possible, and I think it's a trick worth keeping!
A runny lemon center
For the inside, since I wanted a slightly runny center, I decided to enhance the lemon flavor with a bit of lemon curd. It was the first time I'd filled cupcakes, but I think it's the real great idea of this recipe. It's simple—just put the lemon curd in a piping bag with a not-too-large tip and fill them from the top until the cake's surface rises slightly. However, be careful to fill them right out of the oven when they're still hot and moist.
The meringue topping
For the topping, I chose to make Italian meringue torched with a kitchen torch to get that airy side of lemon pie (and also because I love using a torch ^^).
I rarely venture off the beaten path of recipes created by others, but I'm quite happy with my creation because these little lemon meringue cupcakes were very well-received, and I feel like I'm finally starting to loosen up a bit more with my creativity.
Italian meringue
Meringue might seem a little intimidating, but if you have a robot mixer, it's quite easy. Just start beating the egg whites slowly when the sugar syrup exceeds 110°C. When the syrup reaches 118°C, remove the syrup from the heat and pour it over the egg whites (with the mixer whisk continuing to turn). Continue beating until the meringue cools. A little tip: for the syrup to blend well with the eggs, you need to slide it down the side of the mixer bowl (which is quite counterintuitive). You can find the steps for Italian meringue in my article on lemon macarons.
Finishing the lemon meringue cupcakes
Once the meringue is made, simply pipe it onto the completely cooled cupcakes and give them a quick pass with the torch to give them a nice color.
Apart from the necessary equipment (a thermometer for the meringue, a piping bag, and a torch), I find these cupcakes quite simple for impressive results. The flavor is amazing, the moist center brings a touch of acidity that really contrasts with the sweetness of the meringue. It's
As for the contest itself, it's organized by https://www.cadeauxfolies.fr/, which offers some really cool gifts. And since participating required making a birthday gift wishlist, here's my top 3 (and for those who might feel inclined, my birthday is in March... :p)
