Cupcake Project: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of Wilton Company

It's no secret that I adore the Wilton company and their products. I also adore their recipes which, I hope, are making me a better baker. I came across this adorable lemon meringue cupcake recipe which looked inventive, tasty and a challenge. The original recipe can be found here. If you try it at home, please send your pics! I'd love to share...Enjoy Cupcake Lovers!

Ingredients:

Cake

• Non-stick vegetable oil spray
• 1 box ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust 14.1 oz
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks butter, softened 10 tablespoons
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest from two lemons
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• Filling
• 1 jar lemon curd
• Icing
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons of meringue powder
• 1/3 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

Instructions:

step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin pans with vegetable pan spray.

step 2

On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crusts and roll into 13 in. rounds. Cut with Round Comfort-Grip cutter. Reroll scraps and cut again for 24 rounds. Press one round into bottom and up sides of each pan cavity. (Dough will not come all the way up the side of the cup).

step 3

Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool completely.

step 4

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

step 5

In second large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon zest; mix well. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Spoon batter over cooled pie crusts, filling cavity 3/4 full.

step 6

Bake 24-26 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes. Loosen sides of cakes with small spatula and remove to cooling grid to cool completely.

step 7

Cut a hole approximately 1 in. wide x 1 in. deep with paring knife in the top of each cupcake; fill with lemon curd.

step 8

Position oven rack 8-10 inches from top of oven. Preheat broiler.

step 9

For icing, whip meringue powder, water and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar and continue whipping at high speed 5 minutes or until meringue is stiff and dry. Pipe a 1M swirl of meringue on each cupcake. Place back in muffin pans or on cookie sheet. Broil 30-45 seconds, or until meringue is lightly toasted.

There are five of them in the room. However, there are six of them at the mall!