Lemon Cupcakes with Toasted Meringue Frosting
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Enjoy the delicious blend of tart lemon curd, fluffy meringue, and moist lemon cupcakes with our amazing lemon meringue cupcakes recipe. Take your baking skills to the next level and treat yourself to these flavorful treats that are great for any occasion.
I had my first truly unforgettable lemon meringue on a cruise – it was so good that made me want to figure out how to recreate it at home. These Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are exactly that, just in a form you can hand to your kids without a fork. I love taking these fun cupcakes to picnics and potlucks. People love the lemon filling and the toasted meringue frosting top.
These lemony cupcakes offer a tasty dessert option that will impress your friends and family. This cupcake recipe is bound to become a favorite in your baking collection.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious – The cupcakes are bursting with tangy lemon flavor in every bite. A luscious lemon curd filling adds a delightful surprise.
- Easy recipe – This recipe uses simple ingredients and these from scratch cupcakes are ready in about an hour.
- Budget Friendly – This recipe is budget friendly.
Ingredients for lemon meringue pie cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
- Butter – room temperature is best
- Sugar
- All purpose flour
- Cornstarch — The secret to a tender, soft cupcake crumb. It lightens the flour just enough without making the batter fussy.
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs mix more evenly
- Vanilla extract and Lemon extract (optional
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Lemon extract or lemon juice – Freshly squeezed makes a noticeable difference here, especially in the curd. Bottled juice tends to taste flat and can make the curd bitter.
- Milk
- Fresh lemon juice — Freshly squeezed makes a noticeable difference here, especially in the curd. Bottled juice tends to taste flat and can make the curd bitter. .
For the lemon curd:
- Sugar
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Whole eggs and egg yolks – (reserve whites for meringue) Save your egg whites! The curd uses whole eggs plus yolks, which means you’ll have exactly the 3 whites you need for the meringue.
- Lemon zest Don’t skip this in the curd as it’s where a lot of the bright, floral lemon flavor lives. About 1 teaspoon from one lemon.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the meringue
- Egg whites – see above note on eggs
- Cream of tartar — This is what keeps your meringue stable and glossy. Don’t skip it or your meringue may weep or deflate.
- Dash of salt
- Sugar
Equipment and kitchen tools Needed
- Muffin ore cupcake tin
- Cupcake liners
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Kitchen Torch
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How to make lemon meringue cupcakes
Step by Step Instructions Overview. Full details in recipe card.
Step 1 – Preheat oven and prepare liners. In the a large bowl of bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, lemon extract or oil (if using), egg and butter.
Step 2 – Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake as directed. Allow it to cool completely.
Step 3 – Prepare lemon curd. Combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, zest, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Heat in the microwave for one minute. Stir well. Return to the microwave and heat in one-minute increments, stirring well between each interval, until the curd thickens. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
Step 4 – Using an apple corer, cupcake corer, or a rounded teaspoon, scoop out the center of each cupcake to create a hole in the center. Cut a small hole in the end of the lemon curd piping bag.
Step 5 – For the meringue, place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Carefully fill the center of the cupcake up to the brim; do not overfill.
Step 6 – Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a large mound of meringue on top of the cupcakes, covering the lemon curd to conceal it.
Step 7 – Use a kitchen torch to quickly toast the meringue on top of each cupcake, rotating carefully to cover all sides.
Time Saving Tips
- Use store-bought lemon curd to save time.
- Bake cupcakes a day ahead of time.
- Use a piping bag for quicker filling.
- Don’t skip chilling the curd becuase if the curd is warm, you could make the cupcakes soggy,
- Toast meringue with a kitchen torch for fast finishing
Tips for the Best Results
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cupcakes and meringue.
- Ensure the lemon curd is chilled before piping into cupcakes to prevent melting.
- Toast the meringue just until it is golden brown for a perfect finish.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute lemon extract with lemon oil for a more intense lemon flavor.
- Experiment with different fruit curds for unique variations.
- Use a round tip for piping meringue for a classic look.
FAQs About This Recipe
Yes, the lemon curd can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store leftover lemon curd this way.
Even though a stand mixer will work the best, a hand mixer can be used for both the cupcake batter and meringue.
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days for the best freshness.
More Easy Lemon Dessert Recipes
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract or ⅛ t lemon oil – optional
- ⅔ cup milk
For the lemon curd –
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
- 1 lemon (for zest) about 1 t.
- ¾ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
For the meringue –
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup sugar
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- For the cupcakes – In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, lemon extract or oil (if using), egg and butter.
- Use the paddle attachment to mix on low speed until the butter is lumpy and the mixture is crumbly.
- Add in the milk and continue to mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and mix again on medium speed for an additional minute. The batter will be thick.
- Measure about approximately ¼ of a cup’s worth of batter into each cupcake liner. Each cavity should be about ⅔ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and the center is set. Allow to cool completely before assembling.
- For the lemon curd – in a large (8 cup capacity), microwaveable bowl, combine the already melted butter, sugar, eggs, zest and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
- Heat in the microwave for one minute. Stir well. Return to the microwave and heat in one minute increments and stirring well between each interval until the curd thickens. Should take about 5-8 minutes, depending on the microwave. Curd is done when you can stir through it and it leaves a track following your whisk and the curd slowly refills the void.
- Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the zest and any cooked egg pieces, etc.
- Cover the bowl with the strained curd with a piece of plastic wrap. Be sure to press the plastic to touch the top of the curd so it does not develop a film. Place in the fridge to chill for approximately one hour or until assembly.
- For the meringue – place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until soft peaks form.
- Add in the salt and about ⅓ of the sugar. Continue to mix on medium speed for about a minute before adding more sugar. Add in small increments and continue to mix for several minutes until stiff peaks form. Scrape the sides and mix again on high for about 10-15 seconds, just to ensure all the sugar gets incorporated. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- To assemble – transfer the chilled lemon curd to a piping bag. Do not cut open until ready to fill.
- Using an apple corer or a rounded teaspoon, scoop out the center of each cupcake to create a hole in the center. Just about half way down – do not puncture all the way through to the bottom of the cupcake. You can eat or discard the scoop of cupcake.
- Cut a small hole in the end of the lemon curd piping bag. Carefully fill each cavity until the brim of the cupcake – do not overfill.
- Pipe a large mound of meringue on top of the lemon curd to conceal it.
- Use a kitchen torch to quickly toast the meringue, rotating carefully to get all sides. Or, place the decorated cupcakes on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for just a minute or two – just until the meringue begins to brown. Rotate the pan occasionally to get an even toast. This method will heat the entire cupcake, so allow it to cool again before serving or serve warm for a lemon lava-cake experience.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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