Mini Lemon Meringue Cupcakes with Book Club!

Yum Yum! Do you know how much I LOVE lemon desserts- they are one of my favorite. So I recently found this recipe in an Aussie magazine here- and I knew I had to make them. So what perfect occasion- my American Book Club meeting that I hosted this last week.

Not only were they delicious- but deadly- because they are "mini" and I'm pretty sure along with everyone else, you just pop them in your mouth and end up eating more than you probably should. :) Just like those mini snickers. :)

Here's the recipe:

Mini Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Ingredients:
*125 grams of unsalted butter, room temp
*1 cup caster sugar
*1 1/2 T finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 T lemon juice
*1/2 tsp vanilla
*1 1/2 cups plain flour
*2 tsp baking powder
*1/4 tsp salt
*1/2 cup sour cream

Lemon Curd:
*2 egg yolks
*1/4 cup lemon juice, plus finely grated zest of 1 lemon
*90 g chilled unsalted butter, diced

Meringue:
*3 egg whites
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line 30 holes of a 1 1/2 T mini muffin pan with liners.
2. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder and salt over butter mixture and stir to combine. Fold in sour cream and lemon juice.
3. Fill prepared pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until done. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, to make lemon curd, whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until smooth. Add butter, one piece at a time, whisking constantly, until melted. Cook, stirring ocasionally with a wooden spoon for 8-10 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
5. To make meringue, using a mixer, beat eggwhites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 T at a time, beating constantly, until thick and glossy. Fold in cream of tartar.
6. Spread a little curd over each cake. Place meringue in a pastry bag and pipe over curd. Using a blowtorch, gently brown meringue to lightly color.

*I used a thick whip cream and didn't brown them. I have a torch but ran out of time! :)

*I did have leftovers that Jason took to his office the next morning and he said they were devoured way too quickly.

Beautifully displayed on my cupcake stand

And my spring flowers- vases wrapped with ribbon. :) 
What a great book club as well- I hosted for my first time and there were about 9 ladies that turned out. We discussed our book for the month, GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn. It was a really good book- I think I had it finished in about 3 days. Easy read- very engaging- although a bit weird. Sometimes I can't quit fathom how authors come up with their stories because they can be quite crazy. Ah well, good book club, good little treats and great times with new friends. :)

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