SoCalMintJuleps

I’ve blogged about cupcakes before, due to the fact that they are consistently one of my favorite tasty little treats.  When I decide to delve in to the decadence, I usually opt for a general recipe, complete with buttercream frosting, just like my mom… : )

However, when I stumbled upon this recipe for these adorable two-bite mini lemon meringue cupcakes, well, I couldn’t resist printing off the recipe and adding it to my collection…they sound so scrumptious!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 sticks (8 ounces) of unsalted butter (softened)

1 2/3 cups of sugar (plus more for decorating)

2 tablespoons of finely grated lemon peel (plus thin strips for garnish)

2 large eggs and 4 egg whites (room temperature)

1 10-12 ounce jar of lemon curd

Directions:

Position rack in the center of over; preheat to 350 degrees F

Line mini-muffin pans with paper liners

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt

In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy (about 1 minute)

Add 1 cup of sugar and the lemon peel; beat until fluffy (about 5 minutes)

Add the 2 eggs – one at a time – and beat until fluffy (about 5 minutes)

On low speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients, then a third of the buttermilk mixture; repeat, alternating ingredients, until the batter is smooth

Spoon the batter into each liner (about 3/4 full)

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 20 minutes)

Let cool on a rack

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup of sugar and egg whites

Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water (making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl) and heat just until the sugar dissolves, whisking constantly

Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form

Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over each cupcake and dollop the meringue on top

Toss the lemon peel strips in sugar to coat and place on each cupcake

(courtesy of YumSugar and Every Day with Rachel Ray)