Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Lemon meringue cupcakes have all the flavor of lemon meringue pie but in cupcake form! Moist lemon cupcakes filled with a sweet and tart lemon curd swirled with a toasted meringue frosting.
Ingredients for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to fluff the flour and level the measuring cups!
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Baking powder – Helps the cupcakes rise.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor and contrasts the sweetness.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Egg – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – You can use any neutral baking oil.
- Sour cream – Adds a bit of moisture to the cupcakes.
- Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons, which is about the juice of 1 lemon.
- Lemon zest – Use a zester or fine grater. You will need the zest of approximately 1 lemon.
Lemon curd
- Egg yolks – Just the yolks for the lemon curd. The whites will be used for the meringue frosting!
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is best!
- Lemon zest – Adds an extra punch of lemon flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Cold and cubed. Creates a smooth and silky texture.
Meringue frosting
- Egg whites – Large egg whites. Use the egg whites that were separated for the yolks for the lemon curd.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Cream of tartar – Cream of tartar helps to stabilize the meringue and creates a smooth and silky texture.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds a subtle vanilla flavor.
Tools & Supplies for Making Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
How to Make the Components of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
There are three main components involved in this recipe: the lemon cupcake, lemon curd filling, and toasted meringue frosting.
Check out these blog posts to learn more information on how to make each component!
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Bake perfect lemon cupcakes
Use a large cookie scoop to portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners for even, uniform cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven to prevent the tops from browning. Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes to learn more simple tips and tricks!
Filling the cupcakes
To fill the cupcakes, I recommend using an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcake. Insert the corer into the cupcake and push down about 2/3 of the way down. Use a piping bag to fill the cupcake with lemon curd.
Meringue frosting
I recommend piping the meringue frosting onto the top of the cupcakes to create texture. For these cupcakes, I used an Ateco 826 open star tip. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue frosting. Keep the torch moving to prevent the meringue from burning. Be careful not to set the cupcake liners on fire! Check out this video to see how to do it!
Storing and serving
The cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cupcakes can be served cold or at room temperature.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make lemon meringue cupcakes! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
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Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (122 g) milk room temperature
- 1 (1) egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup (55 g) vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp (45 g) lemon juice freshly squeezed
- zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Curd Filling
- 3 (3) egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (61 g) lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ tsp (1 g) lemon zest
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter cold and cubed
Meringue Frosting
- 4 (4) egg whites
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp (0.75 g) cream of tartar
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in milk, egg, sour cream, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk until the wet and dry ingredients are fully combined and the batter is smooth. Do not overmix the batter.
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.
Lemon Curd Filling
- Add egg yolks, granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined.
- Place over low heat on the stovetop. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture thickens. Once the mixture thickens, add in lemon zest and stir until combined.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cubed unsalted butter, one piece at a time, whisking in between each addition until combined and smooth.
- Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof container to remove any lumps.
- Cool the lemon curd to room temperature and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
Meringue Frosting
- Combine egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar in a heat-safe bowl. (You can use the metal bowl of your stand mixer). Whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water on the stovetop.
- Continue to whisk, gently heating the egg white mixture. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Test this out by rubbing a small amount of the egg white mixture between two fingers. If it is smooth and not grainy, it is ready.
- Transfer the bowl or mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. You can also use an electric hand mixer.
- Whip the egg whites on low speed for 2 minutes until frothy. Increase the speed to medium and whip until the meringue thickens.
- Add vanilla extract. Continue to whip until the meringue forms medium/stiff peaks. The meringue will appear glossy and maintain shape. Be careful not to over whip the meringue or it will break.
Assembling the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
- Use an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcake. Insert the apple corer approximately ⅔ of the way through the cupcake.
- Spoon or pipe the lemon curd filling into the center of the cupcake.
- Use a piping bag and open star piping tip to pipe a large swirl of the meringue frosting onto the cupcake.
- Use a kitchen torch to carefully and gently toast the meringue frosting.
Notes
Made This Recipe?
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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