If you love lemon meringue pie then lemon meringue muffins are something you really have to try! Great as a show-off centre piece for afternoon tea.
Ingredients
- For the muffins:
- 175g caster sugar
- 175g butter, softened
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 175g self-raising flour
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
- For the meringue:
- 6 egg whites
- 300g caster sugar
- For the filling:
- 12tbsp lemon curd
Method
Preheat oven to Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Pour in egg a little at a time, add 1tbsp of flour with each addition and beat well. Beat in remaining flour with lemon rind and juice, mixing well.
Half-fill each mould with mixture and level the surface. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and cooked – test with a skewer; it should come out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 mins, then loosen with a knife around the edges. Transfer to a rack and leave to cool.
Split each muffin in half and place the tops on a baking sheet. Put the bases to one side.
For the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks (this means you can hold the bowl upside down above your head and it will not fall out). Whisk in the caster sugar, a spoonful at a time.
Spoon a little meringue onto the ‘lid’ of each muffin and spread to the edges. Place under a preheated grill for 1-2 mins, until the meringue browns slightly.
Remove the ‘lids’ from the grill and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely. Put a large spoonful of lemon curd onto each of the reserved bases, then sandwich together with the meringue tops. Keep in an airtight container until ready to serve
Top tip for making Lemon meringue muffins
Alternatively you could use a blow torch to brown the meringue on top of the muffin lids
