How to make toasted lemon meringue cupcakes

Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place parchment paper and baking cups on baking sheet. If you are using baking liners, place them in a muffin tin. 

   Pour milk into a medium bowl, stir in 1/2 tablespoon vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Note: This makes buttermilk! Curdling is expected.

   Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer and medium bowl, beat room temperature butter, sugar, and granulated lemon peel on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes.

   Staying on medium speed, add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each egg is incorporated into the batter. 

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Turn the mixer to low and add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Next add the buttermilk mixing until combined, then the other half of the dry ingredients until they are fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and mix about 30 more seconds on low.

   Pour batter into baking cups filling each three-quarters full. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

   Allow cupcakes to cool completely, at least 20 minutes. Use cupcake corer to remove the center from each cupcake. If you don't have a cupcake corer you can use a butter knife. Place knife tip halfway between the center of the cupcake and the edge. Tilt the knife to a 45-degree angle, pointing to the center. Slice down almost to the bottom, then twist in a circular motion and remove core.

   Feel free to snack on these delicious cake tubes! Cut about an inch off the tip of a piping bag and fill with lemon curd. Fill each cupcake with a dollop of lemon curd. 

   

Meringue

1. To make the meringue, you will need a double boiler or a metal bowl that fits over a pot of simmering water. The water should not touch the bowl, but the heat from it will gently cook the eggs while you whip them. It is mission critical that your bowl or top double boiler pot is very clean and dry. If it’s not super clean and dry, the egg whites will not foam properly. Even the tiniest speck of egg yolk can prevent your egg whites from whipping properly. Place a pot of water on stove. Heat to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Combine cream of tartar, sugar, and 4 egg whites in clean bowl/double boiler top then place the bowl/pot over pot of simmering water. A great tip for separating the egg whites: separate one egg at a time in a clean, dry bowl then add each egg white to the mixture, before cracking the next egg. This way if any yolk gets in, you only have to discard one egg. 

   Whisk ingredients constantly until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are warm (between 120 and 140 degrees) about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

   Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer and medium bowl, whip egg white mixture on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, (about 6-8 minutes). It takes a while for the mixture to stiffen, but it is worth it! If you don’t whip until the stiff peaks form, your meringue frosting will be too loose and will look like it’s melting after you frost your cupcakes.

   Fill a piping bag with meringue and cut about an inch off the tip. Pipe a swirl of meringue onto each cupcake. Now for the fun part. If you have a cook's torch carefully torch meringue until golden brown being careful to not torch the paper baking cup. Alternatively use your oven to broil until golden brown. The meringue broils very quickly! If broiling, place in preheated oven for 20 seconds to 1 minute while watching constantly. Remove promptly.