You will need:
For the Cupcakes:
175g Self-raising Flour
175g Margarine/Butter
175g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
2 Lemons (Zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1)
For the Meringue:
3 Egg Whites
150g Caster Sugar
For the Buttercream:
175g Icing Sugar
75g Butter
2tsp Lemon juice
Method:
For the Cupcakes:
In a bowl, cream together your margarine and caster sugar.
Then add your eggs and mix well.
Then, grate the 2 lemons zest into the mixture and the juice from 1 lemon and give it a good stir.
Finally add your flour and mix well until well combined.
Transfer to the pre-prepared loaf tin. Then bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 5, 190C or 170C fan assisted for 16 to 20 mins, until a skewer comes out clean.
For the Meringues:
An additional tip is to wipe your bowl with lemon juice, this will help remove any grease from the bowl. Grease will prevent the meringues from whipping up.
In a bowl, add the egg whites and using a whisk or electric whisk, whisk until white and it holds its shape.
Then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking for a couple of seconds after each addition to make sure it is incorporated.
Once all the sugar is whisked in, pipe or spoon onto a pre-lined baking tray.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas 1, 140C or 120 fan assisted for 1 hour. Once the hour is up, turn the oven off and leave the meringues to cool down in the oven.
For the Buttercream:
In a bowl, add the butter at room temperature to the icing sugar and push the butter into the icing sugar using a fork. This should help keep the icing dust down.
Once the butter and icing sugar are as mixed as they can be, add the juice from the final lemon a bit at a time until it is a smooth buttercream. If you add too much liquid, add more icing sugar to bring it back.
The crumble in some of the meringues, mixing after each one until you're happy with the consistency. Make sure you keep 12 aside for decorating.
To Assemble:
Spread the top of each cupcake with the buttercream, then top each cupcake with a meringue.
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