Lemon meringue cupcakes

This recipe is broken up into three parts: the cake, the filling and the topping.

Ingredients for the lemon curd cakes

1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon peel, finely grated
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cup self rising flour


Lemon curd
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons butter


Coconut meringue

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut , chopped finely

1. Make lemon curd.
Combine ingredients in a small heatproof bowl over a small lot of simmering water ( double broiler time!), stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back if a spoon . Remove from heat, cover tightly and refrigerate until cold.

2. Preheat oven to 350.
Line your muffin pan with baking cups.

3. Beat butter, lemon peel, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

4. Stir in milk and coconut, then sifted flour. Pour into baking cups, smooth the surface. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Set on wire rack to cool. Increase oven temp to 425.

6. Once cupcakes are cooled, cut a 3/4 inch hole into the center of each cake, fill with the cooled lemon curd.

7. Make coconut meringue.
Beat egg whites in a small bowl with mixer until soft peaks from; gradually add sugar, vesting until sugar dissolves. Fold in coconut.

8. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with 1/2 -inch tube. Pipe meringue on top of each cake. Hold piping bag vertical to the cake, piping a spiral form the outside to the center of the cake.

9. Bake in oven for five minutes or until meringue is browned slightly.


This was my first time with meringue and I didn't have the piping equipment nor the time to dissolve the sugar all the way while I made the meringue. I'll make this recipe again and take a better picture. Tastes delicious even if you just spoon the meringue into the top like I did. Had to run to practice so I didn't brown it long enough either.
Recipe found from Pamela Clark, cupcakes.
I'll be making many recipes from this bargain book found at Barnes and noble. Everyone can thank Brandi for finding this one and leaving it by by register. :-)