MacMillan Coffee Morning: Lemon Meringue Muffins

Coffee Morning Bake Number Three: Lemon Meringue Muffins

My colleagues did not shut up about these muffins, they loved them!! They also couldn't believe the meringue tasted of lemon. I had so much fun making these muffins! Particularly the lemon meringue topping! The mixture is very similar to a marshmallow mixture and we used a blow torch for the finishing touches. My mum was useless, the meringue was either not cooked or burnt, so after burning a few meringues, I took over and I think they turned out bloody well!!!  The recipe makes 24 cupcakes but I used muffin cases which made around 15.

Ingredients

• 225g Unsalted Butter
• 225g Caster Sugar
• A Pinch of Salt
• Finely Grated Zest of 3 Unwaxed Lemons
• 4 Medium Eggs
• 225g Self-Raising Flour
• 120g Lemon Curd
• 60 ml Lemon Syrup (Mix 60g caster sugar and 60ml of lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stir until the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside to cool)

The Recipe

1. Pre heat the oven to 175c/gas mark  4 and line two 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake cases.
2. Place the butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs lightly in a jug and slowly add to the butter mixture while beating quickly. If the mixture starts to separate or curdle, stop adding the egg and beat in 2/3 tablespoons of flour to rebind the mixture. Once all the egg has been added, sift in the flour and fold until the batter is combined.
3. Using a piping bag or tablespoon, fill the cases until two-thirds full. Bake for 15/20 mins or when the tops are lightly browned and they spring back to the touch.
4. Once cooked let them rest for a few mins outside of the oven. Brush the tops with the lemon syrup while they are still warm. Remove them from the trays and place on a wire rack. When they are cold, hollow out a small hole in the middle using a lemon baller and fill with lemon curd.
5. Pipe on the lemon meringue frosting and brown using a blow torch or grill.

To Make The Meringue Frosting....

• 100g Pasteurised Liquid Egg White
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 3 Tbsp water
• A Pinch of Salt
• 260g Caster Sugar

1.  Place the egg white, lemon juice, water and salt into a bowl and whisk until aerated and soft peaks form.
2. Lower the speed and add a third of the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, then raise the speed and beat well for 1 min. Lower the speed again and repeat with the next third of sugar. Add the remaining sugar in the same way.
3. Then put the speed up high for 3/4 mins or until fluffy, white and firm.
4. Use immediately. Do not store the frosted cupcakes in the fridge as the humidity will melt the meringue.