Veg SF

My mom turned 60 a few days ago and requested lime meringue cupcakes from me. They were scrumptous! The vanilla cake was dense, just sweet enough, and with a nice warm vanilla flavor. The lime curd was delicious. I absolutely love lime curd anyway, so you won’t find me complaning when the curd is in a cupcake. And last, but not least, the meringue frosting was fabulous. It was a dense meringue – not too airy, but just fluffy enough. And it wasn’t overly sweet.

The best part about this recipe is that the curd used egg yolks, the meringue used the whites and I didn’t have any random whites or yolks leftover leaving me wondering what in the world I was going to do with them! Major kudos to whomever thought up this recipe and figured out how to not waste egg parts!

Speaking of kudos… I got all recipes from “Cupcakes” by Shelly Kaldunksi

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white at room temperature (save unused yolk for lime curd)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin/cupcake pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using ane lectic mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and butter together until lighta nd fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well on low speed after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, laternationg with the milk in 2 addtisions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.
3. Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean,  18-20 minutes. Leat cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 mins. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely.

Lime Curd

• 6 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 large egg yolks (safe 3 additional egg whites for meringue frosting)
• Pinch of salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1. In a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the lime juice, sugar, egg yolks, and salt. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking constantly and scraping the sides of the pan, until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes; do not let the curd boil.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the butter one piece at a time until smooth. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Assembly

1. Cut each cupcake in half horizontally.
2. Spread about 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons lime curd onto the bottom layer of each cupcake. Place the tops back on and spread another 1 1/2-2 teaspoons lime curd over the top. Chill for about 30 mins.

Meringue Frosting

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large, heatproof bowl or top of a double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, water and corn syrup. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160 F), about  minutes.
2. Remove the bowl or top of double boiler from the water. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the mixture until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
3. Place spoonfuls of frosting on each cupcake, forming peaks. Chill for 15-30 mins.
4. Brown the tops of each frosting sing either a kitchen torch or by placing in a pre-heated oven on high broil setting for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If broiling, watch very closely so it does not burn.