These Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are moist, have a tightly packed crumb, a punch of lemony flavor, and are topped with a light and fluffy lemon meringue icing. Perfect for celebrations and gatherings during these warmer months.
Follow along with the video!
About 8 years ago, my dear friend, May, graduated from college and I baked her a lemon cake to celebrate. Since then, she hasn’t been able to stop talking about it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the recipe for the cake (pre-blog era), so for her birthday this past weekend (Happy Birthday, May!!!), I went back into the kitchen to re-invent the wheel.
I wanted to develop a cake that was moist, had a tight crumb, and a punch of lemony flavor. So, I was prepared to test more than three batches. I got lucky and only needed two batches before I arrived at a recipe that’s worthy to be shared with y’all!
The cupcake is everything I wanted it to be and is delicious on it’s own. Upon the initial bite, you get just a slight hint of lemon. However, the full lemon flavor doesn’t appear until after you’ve already swallowed. And, it lingers around for a while, making you crave more :) You can thank the oils from the lemon zest for that!
Because a cupcake isn’t a cupcake without frosting, I topped it off with a light lemon meringue icing. The topping is fluffy, tangy, and does not overpower the lemon flavor or sweetness of the cake. Really, I could (and have) just eat the icing by the spoonful. It’s so YUMMY!
Back to May’s birthday. I brought three dozen to the party and came home with zero.
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, hosting a backyard bbq, or going to a potluck, these Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are perfect to have around for these warmer months ahead.
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperatures
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, about 1 large lemon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ 1 stick cup salted butter*
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
Lemon Meringue Icing
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 12 standard muffin cups**.
- In a large bowl, add the sifted flour. Remove 4 tablespoons of the flour and whisk in the corn starch, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together the milk and butter milk. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the lemon zest and granulated sugar. Using the back of a metal spoon, release the oils from the zest by pressing the zest into the sugar until the sugar is pale yellow and resembles damp sand.
- Add the brown sugar to the granulated sugar and stir together on low speed with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and shortening and increase to medium speed. Cream until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Reduce the speed to low and alternate the flour mixture with the milk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the sides after each milk addition. Stir only until combined.
- Fill the prepared muffin tin ¾ full, except for the 12th tin (there won’t be enough batter to reach ¾ full). Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Top with lemon meringue icing (recipe follows).
Lemon Meringue Icing
- In a pot with a mouth wide enough to sit just the bottom of the bowl of an electric mixer, add enough water such that the bowl does not touch the water. Bring water to a boil then reduce to a low simmer.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together all the ingredients. Place the bowl on top of the simmering water and continue whisking by hand until the temperature reaches 160°F when measured by a candy or instant-read thermometer.
- Fit the bowl to the electric mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Notes
Lemon Meringue Icing adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Bake Book
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Video by Katie from Made to be a Momma
These cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous! Look at the fluffy meringue topping! My husband and I love lemon desserts. I know we will love these. ;)
Thank you for your sweet comment! They taste even better than they look, believe it or not ;) Let me know how they turn out!
craving a little lemon meringue cupcake right now – these are so cute!
Thank you for your sweet comment, Thalia! Some times a little pucker is all you need to get through the rest of the day ;)
Sooooo pretty! They look like the perfect summer treat! Wish I could have some right now, they look DELISH!
Thank you, JD! I have some leftover in the fridge. I might just have to sneak one in before dinner ;)
These look wonderful – I especially love fruit-flavored desserts in the spring/summertime, because they always feel so light! I too have a few recipes from the pre-blog era that I wish I could find again. I don’t know why I didn’t just write them down at the time! Oh well…live and learn, right?
Thank you for your sweet comment! Yes, light-feeling desserts are the best! I think my problem is not having a central location. There are bookmarks on my phone, my desktop, my iPad, notebooks upon notebooks and folders of print-outs! Ironically, it’s easier to just start from scratch! You’re right…live and learn, repeat. :D
I sampled these while you were away :) Delicious!
:D The perfect cupcakes this summer! ;)
Yes they were beautiful and perfect! They were so delicious mom snuck some to take home and have with her coffee the next day!
:D That’s awesome!