Phenomenal Phoods

Lavender Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the lavender lemon cupcakes

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon lavender paste (or 2-3 drops lavender oil or 1 tsp dried lavender)
• 1 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

For the swiss meringue

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions:

For the lavender lemon cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and add cupcake liners to a cupcake tray.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk together the oil and sugar in another bowl.
4. Add the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and lavender, whisking until combined.
5. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until combined.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way and bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cupcakes cool completely before using a small knife to scoop out a circle in the center of each cupcake.
8. Use a piping bag with the corner cut off to fill each cupcake with about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd.

For the swiss meringue

1. Prepare a pot with 1-2 inches of simmering water.
2. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and stir constantly with a rubber spatula (so you can scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go) until the mixture reaches 170 degrees F.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and place on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. The bowl should be mostly cool to touch, and you should be able to turn it upside down without the meringue moving.
5. Pipe a heaping amount of meringue on top of each cupcake.
6. Lightly toast the meringue with a kitchen torch or in a 350 degree F. oven for about 5 minutes.