sourpussies

note: i am actually eating this while typing this post (its so good i dont think i'd want to share it with anyone) (✿◠‿◠)

what is that? burnt ice cream cone on a cupcake???? what????

well it happens to look like a good ice cream cone sitting on a cupcake. 

a lemon flavored cupcake at that.

with a secret filling inside.

whaaaaaa-?!

i love how they look slightly like roses 

i'm onto my second one right now as i'm typing this post and for some reason the recipe for the cupcake itself only made 10 (or lesser if i had put more batter into each liner) and my dad ate 1 away before i could finish whisking my meringue (in the standing mixer of course) 

the recipe's lemon filling & meringue came out to be too much so i have a great leftover of lemon curd in the fridge and a plastic bag full of meringue in the dustbin （ ；´Д｀）

note to self: always tweak twerk recipes accordingly. 

My family obviously isn't lover of sweet things (yet I am hence its both a blessing and tragedy at the same time for me) and I have been trying to get my hands on this recipe since the very first day my baking adventure began 

If you do follow me on instagram you'd have probably seen like thousands a few photos of my experiences with lemon meringue tart & cake.

If i'm going to continue spending >$5 on such things might as well make my own (and i get to eat more) for about the same amount of $. Duh

I would've made a lemon meringue tart/cake but as you all know, my family isnt v supportive of my fat-ass desserts baking stint (my mom complains its fattening and sweet and i do agree) so i made cupcakes in case no one at home eats them i'll just give it to my friends (supportive guinea pigs they are - i like) 

look at those secret lemon curd filling (its so sour but i love it!!!!!!!!)

pardon for the iphone quality (im still on an iphone 4 - bleh) but i totally forgot to take a photo of them 

recipe: 

lemon curd:
62.5g sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch (corn flour)
60ml water
2 egg yolks
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
60ml lemon juice
11g unsalted butter (cubed)

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch & water in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently as the mixture begins to thicken
2. When the mixture starts to simmer and turn translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, zest, lemon juice, then lastly, the butter
3. Bring the mixture to a brisk simmer while whisking constantly and remove from heat
4. Transfer to a small bowl for it to cool till lukewarm (30 mins), then cover & refrigerate until cooled
(all these steps happened fairly quickly for me though so no vigorous whisking activity needed)

lemon flavored cupcake: (this yields about 9-11 cupcakes)
120g flour (all purpose/plain)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
113g butter
100g sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice

- Preheat your oven to 175ºc
1. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then set aside
2. Cream butter and sugar until its light & fluffy
3. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest & juice and lastly, the flour. Mix until just combined (dont overmix)
4. Scoop it into your muffin trays with cupcake liners
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes (until your skewer comes out clean or those little annoying bits stick to your skewers)
6. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack

meringue:
60ml water
100g sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil over med-high heat. Once it begins to boil, turn it down to low heat and cook for 4 minutes, then set aside
2. Beat (I don't support domestic violence but when it comes to egg whites its necessary evil) egg whites until frothy, add the cream of tartar then beat it until soft peaks form
3. While your mixer is still running, slowly add the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites. Add the vanilla and beat it until the meringue is very thick and shiny

final steps to achieving those delicious tiny yellowish things as seen above:

1. preheat your oven to 200ºc (i recommend using the top heating element above would be enough)
2. use a tiny spoon or knife to cut out a small hole in the center of the cupcakes (don't cut it in too deep!)
3. spoon 'em lemon curd into the well you just created
4. spoon/pipe (pipe if you want it to look like ice cream) the meringue on top of the cupcake
5. bake the ready cupcakes until the meringues become brown (i put them in for about 5 minutes)

I wouldn't encourage you to bake anything involving meringue if you don't have an electric whisk or freestanding mixer because beating that shit out of the egg whites would take you at least half your life to get to the 'soft peak' level (or i'm just really bad with beating eggs via manual labor)

have a nice day salivating over these while i try not to give into temptation to grabbing another cupcake