Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

http://ohsweetbakery.blogspot.it/2012/06/getting-down-and-curdy-lemon-meringue.html

Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients Makes 12 Cupcakes
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Vanilla Sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract
2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners, grease proof liners work best and retain the color of the liners
In a large mixing bowl sift together dry ingredients
Add egg, milk, oil, vanilla bean paste, lemon extract and lemon zest, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
With a small ice cream scoop fill your cupcake liners to approximately 2/3 full, about one slightly over filled scoop
Place cupcakes in preheated oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes.  Gently insert a toothpick into one of your cupcakes, if it comes out clean they're done
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before decorating

I made mini pie crust cookies with Kruzteaz Pie Crust Mix.  To make the cookies, cut out pie crust with a one inch scalloped circle cookie cutter (you could really use any shape you wanted, a heart would be cute too), brush with an egg wash mixture of egg yolk and a little water for a shiny, golden brown finish and sprinkle with white sanding sugar.  Bake pie crust cookies according to package directions.  

Baking Tip: After cutting out your shapes, place cut outs back in the fridge for 30 minutes so they retain their shape while baking.

Easy Homemade Lemon Curd

Ingredients

Zest of 2 Lemons

1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 Cups Vanilla Sugar (regular white sugar may also be used)

2 Whole Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

4 Tablespoons (1/2 Stick) Butter, cubed

In a small sauce pan, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla sugar and eggs

Over medium heat stir mixture with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved

Add butter and continue to stir mixture constantly until it reaches a pudding like consistency

Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer and let cool before filling cupcakes

Store your lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Baking Tip: Store your curd in a squeeze bottle, it makes it really easy to fill your cupcakes with no mess.

Martha Stewart's classic Seven Minute Frosting was the perfect choice to finish off these yummy cupcakes, find the recipe here.  I made a half recipe and there was more than enough for 12 cupcakes.

Seven-Minute Frosting

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

6 large egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, and egg whites. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.

Attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Use immediately.

Cupcake Assembly

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a well in the center of the cupcakes, I used the small end of a melon baller.

Fill cupcakes with lemon curd

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large French Tip with Seven-Minute Frosting and pipe onto cupcakes

With your oven set on Broil, put cupcakes on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to toast.  Make sure to watch the cupcakes carefully, once they start to brown it goes pretty fast and you do not want to burn them

Top cupcakes with a pie crust cookie and eat!  Cutting a small slit in your frosting makes placing your cookie on top a little easier