Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

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My Lemon meringue cupcakes feature a moist semi homemade lemon cupcake topped with tart lemon curd and a perfect marshmallow meringue. This tastes like lemon meringue pie in cupcake form!

I love turning my favorite desserts into cupcakes. Some of my favorites are cannoli cupcakes, Smores cupcakes, and apple pie cupcakes. My new favorite are these lemon meringue cupcakes. It tases just like the pie but is way easier!

Why Our Recipe Is the Best: A Sprinkle of Food Science

1. We Doctor Our Cake Mix: We use butter instead of oil for a rich flavor, milk instead of water for moisture, and an extra egg yolk for richness.
2. We Make a Swiss Style Meringue: This marshmallow like meringue is more stable, ensures the sugar is fully dissolved, and fully food safe since its cooked to 165.
3. We Add a Pop of Tartness: Lemon zest in the cupcakes and a tart lemon curd ensure this dessert has a good balance of flavors.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Cake Mix: I like the richness of a yellow cake over a white cake. You could even use lemon cake mix if you want.
• Milk: Use whole milk for a moist and tender cake.
• Butter: I prefer baking with unsalted butter, but if all you have is salted use it! Be sure it softened not cold or melted so it creams in easily.
• Eggs: Room temperature eggs are essential for both the cupcakes and the meringue. Around 30-45 minutes on the counter should do the trick.
• Cream of Tartar: Do NOT leave this out, it helps stabilize the egg whites.
• Lemon: When zesting be sure you just get the bright yellow peel. The white pith underneath is very bitter.
• Lemon Curd: We prefer a lemon curd that leans more tart than sweet in this recipe. Bonne Maman is great and easy to find at Walmart. Trader Joe's is also very good but a little sweeter.

Tips and Troubleshooting: Steal My Culinary School Secrets

1. Cupcakes are Dry: This is usually cased by overbaking. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If you wait till it's totally clean they'll likely be overbaked.
2. Meringue Is Weeping: This is usually caused by some undissolved sugar remaining. A good test here is to rub it between your fingers when it's warm. If it is grainy keep heating and stirring.
3. Meringue Won't Whip: Any trace of egg yolk or oil can prevent it from whipping up properly. I like to use a glass or stainless steel bowl as plastic tends to hold onto oil. You can also wipe your bowl down with an acidic ingredient like lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces. I also suggest using a candy thermometer and not eyeballing it!
4. Cupcake Bottoms Are Soggy: Cool on a wire rack not in the cupcake pan. The pan can trap steam on the bottom.
5. Meringue Is Burnt In Some Spots and Raw In Others: Keep the torch constantly moving. It is HOT and meringue will scorch quickly if it's held in one spot too long.

Try These Cupcakes Next

Nutella Cupcakes

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

Funfetti Cupcakes

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