Additional Ingredients

For the cupcake sponge:

100 grams	Butter softened
100 grams	Golden Caster Sugar (Billington's)
1	Vanilla Pods (Nielsen-Massey) seeds scraped out using a sharp knife
2	Free Range Eggs
100 grams	Self Raising White Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly) zest
1	Lemon zest only
3 tbsp	candied lemon zest, optional - specialist delis and cake shops sell this
75 grams	ready-made or homemade lemon curd

Further Additional Ingredients

For the Italian meringue:

2	Free Range Eggs Whites
50 ml	Water
100 grams	Golden Caster Sugar (Billington's)
	To decorate:
	Strips of zest from one lemon
	Icing Sugar (Silver Spoon Homegrown) to dust

How to make Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

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1. For the Lemon Curd:
2. First prepare your bain marie
3. Place sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, then add the eggs and butter, don’t allow the mixture to sit around; start whisking immediately as the sugar and acidity of lemons will start to cook the eggs.
4. Place bowl on bain marie, but be careful that the bowl doesn’t touch water. Cook over gentle heat, whisking all the time until butter melted and mixture has thickened. The mixture will continue to thicken on cooling. Place curd in sterilised jar and place to one side while prepare sponge.
5. For the cupcake sponge:
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.
7. For the cupcakes, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together in a large mixing bowl until pale, fluffy and well combined.
8. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until both are fully incorporated into the mixture.
9. Fold in the flour, candied lemon zest if using and lemon zest until well combined.
10. Place a couple teaspoons of batter in the bottom of the cases and add a teaspoonful of lemon curd to the middle of each cupcake and then cover with a little more mixture.
11. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are pale golden-brown and spring back when pressed lightly in the centre.
12. For the Italian meringue:
13. Make a sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in water over a gentle heat.
14. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks and doubled in volume. Gradually add the sugar syrup while you continue to whisk, being careful that the syrup doesn’t touch the whicks/beaters. Keep whisking continuously, until the meringue mixture is thick and glossy and has cooled down – check by feeling side of mixing bowl.
15. Spoon the meringue in a piping bag and pipe some meringue on the top of each cake, using a blow torch, lightly brown the top of each cake to toast the meringue. Finish with lemon zest and sprinkling icing sugar.

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