Lemon meringue cupcakes – easy peasy lemon cake-mix cupcakes topped with irresistible lemon curd and torched meringue (marshmallow fluff). This recipe is memorable yet super simple to make as you can buy everything premade from the store (except the 10-minute meringue). It’s a dessert paradise topped with a little bit of heaven. Enjoy!
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When you take your first bite, you fall in love! Hard. Like, I’m talking about waiting for the phone to ring hard. I mean look at them. They are as visually appealing as they are delicious. But what we really love is that burst of citrusy sweetness that can be appreciated any time of the year. So, why not make them for Christmas, New Years’ Eve, or Easter? Heck, even Valentines’ day.
So, make them for any special occasion. Or make them on a Monday and give them to someone you think is sweet! Whatever reason you decide to make these lemon cupcakes, know two things; you can’t eat just one, and you won’t have any leftovers.
Oh, and be warned. If you make this easy dessert, people will hound you to make them again. And again. And again…and you will.
Let us show you how.
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Ingredients
Below, you will find everything that you need to make our Lemon Meringue Cupcakes including the cupcakes, lemon curd, and meringue.
- Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Water
- Butter
- Lemons (for juice and zest)
- Cream of Tartar
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Sugar
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Make the cake mix according to the box instructions. That’s the easiest part of this easy recipe. You can buy pre-made lemon curd, but making it is easy.
We followed Sally’s easy lemon curd recipe.
To make the lemon curd, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, salt, and sugar to a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with about two inches of simmering water. This is called the double boiling method. Next, whisk constantly for about 10 minutes or until it thickens. You must stir it constantly to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.
Next, you will need to make the meringue. This isn’t exactly like the meringue you get on a lemon meringue pie. Nope. It’s more of a marshmallow fluff. But it tastes amazing nonetheless, and it’s really easy to make.
Add the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl over a pot with about two inches of simmering water. This is called the double boiling method.
Whisk constantly until mixture is frothy and reaches 160-degrees which should take about five minutes like in the image below.
Finally, add the frothy mixture to a stand mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Mix on high for five minutes. The mixture will be glossy with stiff peaks.
Equipment
It would be best if you had some special equipment to make these heavenly lemon meringue cupcakes.
Storage
If you have any leftover cupcakes, and I doubt you will, definitely store them in the refrigerator. They should be good in there for up to three days. We tasted them the next day, and they were simply phenomenal. I would say they actually taste better the next day.
Top tip
For next-level points, use a chopstick to poke holes in the cupcakes, as seen in the picture below. Then warm the lemon curd so that it is pourable. The curd will seep into all of the little nooks and crannies of the cake and become moist and unbearably delicious. Dangerously delicious! Now, you will have a “lemon curd poke cupcake” or a “lemon meringue pie poke cupcake.” Hey, it’s your creation. Call it what you will.
Lemon Meringue Cupcake Recipe
Equipment
- food thermometer
- Muffin Liners
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 1 Lemon Cake Mix Ingredients listed on box
Lemon Curd
- 4 Large Egg Yolks Room temperature
- ⅔ Cup Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
- ⅓ Cup Lemon Juice
- ⅛ Tsp Salt
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter Room temperature
Merinque
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 4 Large Egg Whites Room temperature
- ½ Tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Cook the cake mix according to the package instructions. Cool the cupcakes completely.
Meringue
- In a heatproof glass bowl, add the sugar, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Place the bowl on top of a larger pot with about 2 inches of simmering water.
- Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has dissolved or reached 160 degrees, about 5 minutes. The mixture will become frothy.
- Add the frothy egg mixture into a stand mixer bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Put the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Lemon Curd
- Get the directions for the lemon curd here.
- Once cupcakes are cooled, spread the lemon curd on top. Then pipe the meringue on top and toast with a kitchen torch.
Notes
- Store the meringue in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- You can also cut a hole in the middle of the cupcake and pipe the lemon curd inside then top with the meringue. Either way, it will still be delicious.
- If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a sandwich bag, just cut a small corner off after filling the bag.
- Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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