Full of tangy lemon and floral elderflower, these Lemon and Elderflower Cupcakes take Lemon Meringue to new heights and taste exactly how you imagine the sunshine should taste.
Ingredients
For the lemon curd
- 4 large egg yolks
- 135g caster sugar
- 3 lemons, zest and juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 90g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
For the cupcakes
- 140g butter, softened
- 140g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 170g self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 lemons, zest
For the meringue
- 100g caster sugar
- 25ml water
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- To make the lemon curd, place the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice and salt in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
- Whisk for about 10 minutes, until the mix becomes thick and well combined; whisk constantly to prevent curdling.
- Remove the curd from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, allowing each to melt before adding the next. Pour into a jug and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C/160 ̊C fan/gas mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Fold in the flour, milk and lemon zest. Spoon the batter into the cases and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- For the meringue, put the sugar and water into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Attach a sugar thermometer to the side of the pot
- Slowly start to whisk the egg white, using an electric beater or a free standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix until the egg white starts to foam.
- Allow the sugar to reach 121 ̊C, then slowly stream the hot sugar into the egg white. Turn the mixer to full speed and whisk until the egg white has cooled to room temperature.
- To assemble the cupcakes, use a small spoon to scoop a small piece from the centre of each cupcake. Add a spoonful of lemon curd to each hole.
- Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a large round nozzle. Pipe a swirl on the top of each cupcake.
- Preheat the grill to a medium heat and place the cupcakes under the grill to toast the meringue. If you have a kitchen blowtorch, you can torch each cupcake to toast the meringue golden brown.
