Meringue Flower Cupcakes Recipes

MERINGUE FLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Fit pastry bag with coupler, and fill with meringue. Pipe flowers and petals onto parchment-lined baking sheets, using different tips to create a variety of shapes and sizes. (We used a leaf tip, multi-opening tip, and star tip. You will need about 16 flowers and petals per cupcake.)
• Bake until meringue is dry but not brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.
• Mound tops of cupcakes with frosting. Immediately arrange meringue flowers and petals on tops.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined. Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, milk, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them to just below the rim. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to high and gradually beat in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• Combine the remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, the corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture registers 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 6 minutes; remove from the heat. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites; increase the speed to high and beat until the meringue is fluffy and cool, about 6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe onto the cupcakes; set aside at room temperature to firm up, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, limoncello and food coloring in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Microwave 1 minute, then whisk again until the sugar dissolves; let cool about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dip the meringue-covered tops of the cupcakes into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. If the glaze gets too thick, microwave 20 seconds.

ORANGE MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and orange zest and pulse a few times to combine evenly. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, with some pea-size bits of butter.
• Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup with a spout. With the food processor running, pour in the milk mixture and process until smooth.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed gently, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
• Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, orange juice and zest, cream of tartar and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and beat, using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, until the meringue is cool and holds a stiff peak, about 7 minutes.
• Generously pipe or spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with orange zest.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and lemon zest; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes., Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a very small tip. Fill with pie filling. Push the tip into the top of each cupcake to fill., In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Pipe over tops of cupcakes., Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FOR CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
• Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
• Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
• Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

LEMON MERINGUE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 standard muffin cups.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Make a well in the center.
• Place the egg and egg yolk in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs together, then stir in the milk, vanilla, and butter. Pour the egg mixture into the well in dry ingredients. Fold in gently until just combined -- batter will be lumpy.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes -- the cakes will only rise a little way up the cups. (Leave the oven on the same temperature).
• Cool the cakes in the muffin tins for about 10 minutes, then loosen with a knife, but leave in the tin.
• Hollow out the center of each cake with a melon baller, being careful not to pierce through the base of the cake.
• Stir the lemon curd well, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain nozzle. Carefully pipe the curd into the cavity of each cake.
• Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add a quarter of the remaining sugar at a time, beating well after each addition, until stiff glossy peaks form.
• Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the meringue mixture on top of each cake and form peaks wit hthe back of a spoon. Sprinkle with a little of the extra sugar over the meringue.
• Return the cakes to the oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue is lightly golden and crisp and the cakes come away slightly from the side of the tin.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack. The meringue topping might come off the cakes when they first come out of the oven, so handle the cakes carefully. The meringue will adhere to the cakes as they cool.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. The cakes are best eaten the day they are made so the meringue stays crispy.