| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 50 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 12 cupcakes |
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon limoncello or other lemon-flavored liqueur (optional)
- 6 to 7 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined. Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, milk, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them to just below the rim. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to high and gradually beat in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Combine the remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, the corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture registers 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 6 minutes; remove from the heat. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites; increase the speed to high and beat until the meringue is fluffy and cool, about 6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe onto the cupcakes; set aside at room temperature to firm up, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, limoncello and food coloring in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Microwave 1 minute, then whisk again until the sugar dissolves; let cool about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dip the meringue-covered tops of the cupcakes into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. If the glaze gets too thick, microwave 20 seconds.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 512 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 91 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 75 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 33 mg |
| Sodium | 179 mg |
Reviews
So good
I also made 18 cupcakes and some still overflowed a little onto the pan. The meringue was thick and hard to get into a pastry bag. The cupcakes tasted good, but not worth the extra effort making glaze and meringue.
If you have problems with them overflowing you might check your altitude which can affect how cakes rise. Also humidity can affect cakes too.
These are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. I don’t make any changes to the cupcake batter itself. I’ve made them several times and each time they are moist and delicious and it’s impossible to eat just one. To make frosting them a little easier here’s my cheat: I make the yellow glaze but buy white cream cheese frosting instead of making the meringue. After the cupcakes have cooled, I use a knife to spread a thin layer of the glaze on top of the cupcake. You could also dip them in the glaze but using a knife makes less of a mess. I let that set for 30 minutes or overnight. To finish I just frost them very simply on top of the glaze with the cream cheese frosting. They are divine. These are my favorite cupcakes.
Made these cupcakes according to the directions but was very disappointed with the oily taste of the cupcake. They never made it to a church dessert but ended up in the garage instead. Disappointed because they looked so delicious in the magazine.
Loved these cupcakes! I made them twice in one week to bring to functions and they were a hit. The frosting is amazing — I will definitely use this frosting on other cupcakes. This recipe says that it only makes 12 cupcakes — I made 18 cupcakes and they came out perfect. I suggest using a large cookie scoop — one scoop per cupcake.
These cupcakes taste very good but i had a similar problem with the directions to fill the batter to just below the rim. Mine also overflowed onto the pan. I used a biscuit cutter to cut the excess cake. Also, the glaze although easy to prepare, was not easy to apply to the meringue even after I let it set for 15 minutes.
The directions to fill to just below the rim are insane. You end up with cupcake tops that spread on the top of the pan, but since they don’t tell you to grease there they stick and then rip off when you try to take them out of the pan. They taste good, but next time I’m filling them 3/4 of the way full and making 18 instead of 12.