12 Oct Lemon Meringue Cupcake with dry lemons
Sometimes we need quick but fantastic look cupcakes for brunch with friends or to take away for a family lunch. This recipe is very lovely and easy because the main cupcake you can use plain as it is, or you can add flavours like this time with the lemon zest or fill it with curd. This Lemon Meringue Cupcake is a very versatile recipe, and you can use all its components as separate recipes for other things.
You can use the meringue frosting for other cupcakes or cake recipes or just cook it but its own as little meringue kisses. The filling could be used to do some whoopie pies or cookies, too. If you are not interested in making the filling from scratch, you can use a lemon curd filling with no problem.
The main thing to learn here is how to dry lemons at home. You can use those with this recipe but also in a drink or cake. The good thing is that you can store them in the fridge for a long time. It is a plus to have some to-go garnish to finish your cakes professionally.
Ingredients:
Cupcake:
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
- eggs
- sugar
- melted unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- lemon zest
Filling:
- Condensed milk
- Lemon juice
Meringue:
- egg whites
- sugar
- water
- cream of tartar
Garnish:
- Whole lemons
Prepare the muffin tin with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 180°C.
Sift the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.
In an electric mixer, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and lemon zest to impregnate the sugar while whisking. Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition. Incorporate the milk and the flour mixture and mix until everything is smooth. Scoop the cupcake butter into the muffin cups. Bake them for approximately 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Let time cool in a wire rack.
Meanwhile, we can mix the filling by combining the condensed milk with the lemon juice and setting it aside to fill the cupcakes later.
We can also make meringue. We are going to do an Italian meringue, so we are making syrup with the water and sugar in a pot over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball mark. Meanwhile, you should beat your egg white with the whisk attachment with a pinch of cream of tartar. Pour the syrup continuously over the egg whites and continue whisking until the meringue is completely cool. Fill a piping bag and use it for the cupcake buttercream.
After o before cooking the cupcakes, you can dry your lemons by cutting them into even slices and placing them over a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake them in a medium heat oven for 1 hour or until they are completely dry. You should turn them over in the middle of the baking to have an even baking. Let them cool, and use them as a garnish whenever you like.
For the assembly, you should core the center of each cupcake and fill it with the lemon filling and finish with the meringue and one of the dry lemons for a final touch.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes with dry Lemons:
You can buy the lemon curd and omit that step if you want.
yes, you can not do them as a garnish; just use a kitchen torch to burn the peak of the frosting to decorate them a little.
Yes, you can use it as a base and add other zest or add some fruits inside, or maybe some chips to add another dimension.
Lemon Meringue Cupcake with dry lemons
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you are a fan of Lemon Meringue pie, you will love this option for a cupcake because every bite of the cupcake will remind you of a lemon meringue pie. They are a perfect dessert for lunch or brunch because the lemony cupcakes will compensate for the sugar and be more Sutil-sweet after lunch. It is a simple recipe that is a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Cupcake recipe:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 of a cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
Filling:
- 1 can of Condensed milk
- 1/4 cup of Lemon juice
Meringue:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
Garnish:
- 2 Whole lemons
Instructions
For the cupcake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and put liners into a 12-cupcake pan.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until creamy over medium-high speed. Add one egg at a time and beat after each addition. Also, incorporate vanilla and lemon zest.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt with a strainer and alternate with the milk. Begin with the dry ingredients and finish with them.
- Scoop the cupcake batter into the muffin pan. Bake them for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick comes clean.
- Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes and transfer them to a rack to keep colling for 15 minutes before using them
For the Meringue:
- Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed in a bowl of a stand mixer.
- Meanwhile, pour the water and cup of sugar into simmering in a small saucepan. Use a thermometer to check that the mixture comes to a softball. Pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites and beat them until they become a meringue and feel cold to the touch. Fill a piping bag and set it aside for further use.
For the homemade lemon curd or filling:
- Open the condensed milk can and pour it over a small bowl and add the lemon juice. Mix it well and set it aside for later.
For the dry lemons:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the lemon and even slices with a sharp knife and place them a couple of centimetres over the cookie sheet.
- Bake them for 1 hour or until they are dry. You should turn them over at half of the bake.
- Let them cool in a wire rack and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a long time.
For the assembly of the cupcake:
- Scoop the center of the cupcakes with a little knife and reserve the top of the cupcakes. You can also use a cupcake corer if you have one. Fill them with the homemade lemon curd and top it with the top cupcake layer.
- Pipe the meringue on top and garnish with one dry lemon. If you don’t want to use the dry lemons, you can use a blow torch to broil them a little the meringue for a finished look.
Keywords: how to dry lemons, lemon meringue pie cupcakes, lemon meringue cupcakes
Hi! I’m Valeria (aka Val) the photographer and recipe developer behind Canguro Criollo. My passion for food began when I was little at my home when everything will revolve around food and now I discover this new creative outlet of food photography. I wish you can follow my journey discovering unique ways of preparing Peruvian food abroad and some other family-friendly foods.
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