Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd:

⅔ cup lemon juice

3 large eggs

5 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 ½ tablespoons salted butter, cut into small pieces

Cupcakes:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

½ cup hot water

Meringue:

½ cup white sugar

3 large egg whites

¾ teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

-Combine lemon juice, eggs, sugar, and lemon zest for lemon curd in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spatula or spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in butter until melted; set aside.

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

-Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for cupcakes into a large bowl. Pour milk, oil, vanilla extract, and egg onto the dry mixture. Mix thoroughly with an electric mixer of by hand. Pour in hot water and mix to combine; batter will be thin. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin liners, filling about 3/4 full.

-Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool, about 20 minutes.

-Core each cupcake using either a corer or a knife. Spoon in lemon curd.

-Pour sugar and egg whites into a large bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan or pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and egg whites are warm, to between 120 and 140 degrees F (49 to 60 degrees C) on a thermometer, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.

-Mix in lemon juice and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe meringue onto the cupcakes.

-Set an oven rack about 10 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven’s broiler.

-Place cupcakes under the preheated broiler until meringue has browned, about 2 minutes.