Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
These punchy lemon meringue cupcakes start with a graham cracker crust, a vanilla cupcake filled with lemon curd, and a toasted meringue top! They’re cupcake-meet-lemon meringue pie, and they’re to die for!
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 lemon should suffice for juice and zest
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter cold
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 3/4 cup finely ground graham cracker
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
For the Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg white room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Swiss Meringue
- 6 large egg whites approx. 230g
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Lemon Curd
- Add 1/2 c granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon zest to a small/medium saucepan that is off the heat. Give the mixture a vigorous whisk.
- Add 3 large egg yolks to the saucepan and give the mixture another vigorous whisk until the mix has lightened in color.
- Pour in 1/4 c fresh lemon juice and whisk until combined.
- Place the saucepan over low/medium heat making sure to whisk constantly. Pay special attention to the edges of the saucepan, the curd would most likely burn here if anywhere. Whisk constantly until the mix thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it reaches a hollandaise sauce consistency. It will thicken even more in the refrigerator.
- Pull lemon curd off of the heat and mix in 1/4 c cold butter that has been cut into small pieces. Mix until butter has melted.
- (Optional) Pass the lemon curd through a kitchen sieve to get rid of any lemon zest.
- Place in an airtight container and let cool/thicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour. It will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and line cupcake pan with grease proof cupcake liners.
- In a food processor, blitz graham crackers until finely ground, ending up with 3/4 cup of finely ground graham crackers. Place ground graham crackers into a medium bowl. May use plastic bag and rolling pin if you do not have a food processor.
- Add 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar and 3 Tbsp of melted unsalted butter to the bowl and give the mixture a good stir.
- Scoop 1 Tbsp of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner and press down gently so that the crust sticks together.
- Bake for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and allow crust to cool.
For the Cupcakes
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (162 ℃).
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, place 3/4 stick of room temperature unsalted butter and 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (at least 2-3 minutes).
- While the butter and sugar are mixing, in a medium bowl measure out 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/8 tsp of salt. Lightly whisk this mixture together.
- Add in 2 whole eggs, 1 egg white one egg at a time to the butter sugar mixture, mixing after each egg is added and only adding a new egg after the previous one is incorporated into the batter. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is mixed thoroughly. At this point, your batter should look pretty light and fluffy.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with the flour. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then put my mixer on low speed until it’s incorporated, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, mix on low, 1/3 of the flour, mix, last 1/2 of the buttermilk, mix, final 1/3 of the flour mixture until all is barely incorporated.
- Finally, take a spatula and finish mixing the batter lightly by hand to ensure it is even and smooth.
- Pour even amounts of batter into the cupcake liners directly on top of the cooled graham cracker crust and bake, at 325°F (162 ℃) for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven and environment.
- Remove from the oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely while you get started on your Swiss Meringue.
For the Swiss Meringue
- Create a bain-marie by filling a small/medium saucepan with an inch of water over low heat. The water should be at a simmer.
- Add 6 large egg whites and 2 cups of granulated sugar to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Place the bowl with the eggs and sugar over the bain-marie and whisk constantly as it heats. Whisk the mixture until it reaches 160°F (roughly 71°C), then remove from the heat.
- Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip on medium/high speed. Once the mixture has started to look frothy, add your pinch of salt and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Then continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Add the meringue to a piping bag fitted with the large star tip.
For the Assembly
- You should now have all of your elements ready and cooled.
- Using a cupcake corer or small measuring spoon, carefully remove the centers of each cupcake and fill with cooled lemon curd.
- Generously pipe the Swiss meringue onto each cupcake and, using a kitchen torch, toast the meringue atop each cupcake.
- Serve and ENJOY! Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.