new house – Mamma wears Prada

Home is where you can smell freshly baked cupcakes right? We have been living in our lovely new home for 2 weeks now so it was about time I properly tried out our new Rangemaster (yes that one, the big one!).

These last two weeks have been really exciting because of the move but pretty stressfull as well so I was in serious need of a baking antistress session (baking relaxes me sooo much!) and I decided to try out a recipe I came across on Pinterest.

I love lemons, I love (obviously) cupcakes and meringue so this was the best combination for me. What really amazed me was to find a recipe that was incredibly light. When you bite into this cloudy cupcake you get a hint of vanilla from the sponge, the light and tangy lemon filling and the fluffy marshmallow consistency of the meringue without feeling overwhelmed by the sweetness FAB!

The problem is if you are not carefull you find yourself eating a dozen without realising! I think I found an alternative to buttercream (far too sweet for me) which makes the whole family happy.

The same day I baked these tasty cupcakes, I found out it was my new (and only) neighbour’s birthday so what better sweet present than share some baking goodies with her? I remember somewhere I had a cute cupcake holder which featured little chickens and bunnies (in perfect countryside style lol) so I used it and filled it with 4 lemon meringue cupcakes, a ribbon and a personalised birthday card on the top.

Do you want to impress your neighbours too (or just anyone really) then have a go at the recipe below and find out how easy is to make these cupcakes and homemade lemon curd!

Recipe for 12 cupcakes

115 grams of butter
220 grams of sugar
3 medium eggs
200 grams of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
120 ml of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the lemon filling:

2 lemons (zest and juice)
125 ml water
100 grams of sugar
50 grams of butter
2 medium eggs

For the Italian meringue:

3 egg whites (I used meringue powder)
180 grams of sugar
100 ml water

Preheat oven to 180.

Sift the flour and baking powder and set aside.

Beat butter with sugar until blended, add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add flour, milk and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until all is incorporated. Divide batter evenly among lined cups and bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once out of the oven, leave the cupcakes to stand for 5 minutes and then put them on a rack to cool completely.

In the meantime prepare the lemon curd. Combine together the zest of two lemons, the juice, water and sugar. Add the butter and two eggs, previously beaten, and mix well. Simmer until thickened.

To prepare the frosting, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until it reaches 115 ° C-120 (I didn’t have a food Thermometer so I just guessed lol!). Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff. When the water and sugar mixture has reached the right temperature (or you think so), gently pour it over the whites while continuing to whisk them. Continue beating until you get a glossy meringue. Once the cupcakes are cool, make a little hole in each cupcake, fill it with the lemon curd and decorate with the meringue using a piping bag. To create a finishing touch use a blowtorch.

You can find the source of the recipe on my Cupcake board on Pinterest.

Enjoy!