Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe
User Reviews
5
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe
Description
The recipe starts with a lemon cupcake batter made by combining flour, leavening agents, salt, milk mixed with lemon juice and zest, butter, sugar, and eggs. The batter is mixed to achieve a smooth consistency and baked in lined cupcake tins until puffed and springy to the touch. Cooling fully is essential before proceeding.
The cupcakes are filled with a lemon mousse made from sweetened condensed milk, fresh lemon juice, and heavy cream, offering a rich, tart contrast to the cake. The final layer is a toasted meringue frosting prepared from egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and a touch of lemon juice and zest, whipped into stiff peaks and toasted to give a caramelized surface and a fluffy texture.
These cupcakes combine creamy, tart, and sweet elements in a visually appealing form. They are suitable for occasions where a lemon dessert is desired and benefit from being topped with the meringue just before serving.
Store filled lemon cupcakes without meringue frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Meringue should be added just before serving. Unfilled cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months, thawed, then filled and frosted.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cupcake Batter:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk whole
- ¼ cup lemon juice Meyer lemon, regular lemon, or lime, fresh
- 3 Tablespoons lemon Meyer lemon, regular lemon, or lime, finely grated zest
- ½ cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 egg at room temperature, large
For the Lemon Mousse:
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice regular lemon, or lime, fresh, Meyer lemon
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For the Toasted Meringue Frosting:
- 8 egg large, whites
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- lemon Meyer lemon, regular lemon, or lime, a few drops, fresh juice
- lemon Meyer lemon, regular lemon, or lime, zest
Instructions
- To make the lemon cupcake batter, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (178 degrees C). Line a cupcake tin and reserve.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir in together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine whole milk and both lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat softened butter for about 1 minute at medium speed. Then add the sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add eggs, one at a time, to the sugar mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Alternately, add the dry ingredients or flour mixture and also the reserved mixture of milk and lemon juice and zest to the egg mixture, beating well after each addition.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until cupcakes are puffy and bounce back when lightly touched. Let cool completely on a rack before filling with lemon mousse and meringue frosting.
- To make the lemon mousse, whisk all the 3 ingredients together until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. Fill cupcakes with lemon mousse by first cutting out a small hole in the center of each cupcake using a paring knife. The hole should be to about one-half of the vertical depth of the cupcake. Reserve the cupcake removed piece of the cupcake.
- Pipe lemon mousse into each hole. Close the hole with the reserved piece of cake -- this will require trimming off most of the bottom part of the plug so that when replaced in the hole the plug will be level with the rest of the top of the cupcake, and will not squeeze out the mousse. Place filled cupcakes in the refrigerator.
- To prepare the toasted meringue frosting, place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Then, set the bowl over a saucepan containing simmering water. Whisk constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until sugar has dissolved and whites are warm to the touch.
- Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat mixture on low speed and then gradually increase to high until obtaining stiff, glossy peaks (about 5 minutes). Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice, mixing until combined.
- Using a large star tip or other tip of your preference, pipe meringue onto the cupcakes. Toast meringue with a blow torch and sprinkle lemon zest on top of the toasted meringue. Decorate as desired, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Store lemon mousse-filled cupcakes without meringue frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Add toasted meringue frosting just before serving to preserve texture and appearance.
- Unfilled cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months; thaw before filling and frosting.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 18cupcakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1588 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 158.8kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 16.4g | 5% |
| Protein | 5.3g | 11% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 4.7g | 24% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2.1g | 11% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 56.3mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 186.5mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 133.5mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 0.4g | 2% |
| Sugar | 5.6g | 11% |
| Vitamin A | 279.7IU | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 1.5mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 57mg | 6% |
| Iron | 0.9mg | 5% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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