So…Trophy disappointed me by running out of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes last week. I disappointed myself today by producing inferior cupcakes.
I started by making a graham cracker crust for the bottom of the cupcake. I spun 12 graham crackers in the food processor then added some melted butter. I put a tablespoonful of the crumb mixture into each cupcake liner and pressed it down with a juice glass. The crusts went into the 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Filling with lemon curd.
I used the standard Cook’s Illustrated vanilla cupcake recipe and made a couple of revisions. I didn’t have sour cream, so I used a container of plain (Greek) yogurt. I also thought they would need to go into the frig because of the meringue, so I used oil instead of butter. I added the zest of 2 lemons to the batter as well.
I scooped the batter on top of the crusts in the cups and baked for around 20 minutes.
After removing the cupcakes from the oven, I allowed them to cool for a bit. I wanted to make a lemon syrup to brush the tops with, since I think of lemon meringue pie as being very sticky. I boiled some lemon juice with sugar until it reduced by half. I didn’t really like the taste of it, so I chucked it.
Using a pastry bag and a small tip, I squirted lemon curd into the center of each cupcake. In retrospect, I should have cut out a cone to ensure that I had enough curd in each cake.
I used an Italian meringue for the top. I boiled a cup of sugar with 1/3 cup of water until it reached 240 degrees, then poured it into the mixer bowl where I had whipped 5 (pasteurized) egg whites to soft peaks. I beat the mixture until it cooled, then piped it on top of the cakes. Unfortunately, neither Mr Shuck nor I could get the kitchen torch lit with the one match I was able to scrounge up, so Mr Shuck and his friend held them close to the broiler coil in the oven.
Browning the meringues
I’m not very happy with this cupcake for a couple of reasons. First, the meringue seems a little over beaten. I don’t really like meringue so this may taint my objectivity here also. Second, there should be more lemon curd filling. I also think they would have made better minis. These are a little hard to bite into and get a taste of each component. While a nice single bite would have been good, it’s probably best that the boys didn’t have to hold twice as many cupcakes up to the broiler.
I do like the graham cracker crust as it adds some crunch. The cake itself is nice. It’s more “lemon-scented” and not overpoweringly lemony.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Addendum: I gave 1/2 of the cupcakes to our friend who helped. His family really enjoyed them, especially the ones with a noticeable amount of lemon curd. Maybe this was successful after all!
The Cupcake Addict's Cupcake Collection 