Itsy Bitsy Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

These cute-as-a-button mini lemon meringue cupcakes are super easy to make. I whipped them up within an hour. And they are yummy too!

Well, what can I say, except that we need more recipes like this.


Itsy Bitsy Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
(Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly)

Makes 30 mini cupcakes (or 10 standard size cupcakes)

Lemon Curd
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
80ml lemon juice
40g butter

Lemon Cake
125g butter, softened
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
60g desiccated coconut
185g self-raising flour
80ml milk

Meringue
4 egg whites
200 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make lemon curd:
Combine ingredients in a small heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic wrap; refrigerate until cold.

To make lemon cake:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees celsius fan-forced). Line mini cupcake pan with paper cases.

Beat butter, rind, sugar and eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the coconut, then sifted flour and milk. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Cool cupcakes on wire racks.

Cut a small hole in centre of each cake and fill with lemon curd.

To make meringue:
Combine egg whites and sugar in a small bowl, beat with an electric mixer until thick and glossy. Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe meringue on cakes. Bake in preheated oven at 220 degrees celsius (200 degrees celsius fan-forced) until brown lightly, about 5 minutes. (Note: I used blowtorch to brown the meringue)