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Queen of Puddings Cupcakes
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Queen of Puddings Cupcakes

Lemon cupcakes filled with creme patisserie and raspberry jam, topped with Italian meringue
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword Cupcake
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 323kcal
Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the creme patisserie

  • 165 ml Whole milk
  • 1 Vanilla pod
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 45 g Caster sugar
  • 15 g Cornflour

For the cupcakes

  • 175 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
  • 175 g Caster sugar
  • 3 Eggs large
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 175 g Self raising flour
  • 1 Lemon zest only

For the meringue

  • 110 g Caster sugar
  • 65 ml Water
  • 2 Egg whites
  • ½ tsp Cream of tartar

For the filling

  • 60 g Raspberry jam

Instructions

  • To make the creme patisserie, heat the whole milk with the seeds from the vanilla pod until it starts steaming. Take off the heat and pour into a jug
  • While it is heating up, use an electric whisk to whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until pale and thick. Then add the cornflour and mix it in
  • Continue mixing the egg yolk mixture on a slow speed, and pour the hot milk in slowly
  • Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat it up whilst stirring continuously. When it starts to thicken, use a hand whisk to keep it smooth and stop any lumps
  • Once it is thick, put it in a bowl, and cover it with cling film so that the cling film directly touches the creme patisserie. Put in the fridge to cool completely. If there are any lumps in it, you can push it through a fine sieve once it has cooled down
  • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with paper cases
  • To make the cupcakes, mix together the butter and caster sugar, ideally using an electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy
  • Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk them in well
  • Then gently whisk in the self raising flour, and lastly fold in the lemon zest
  • Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases, and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Put them on a rack to cool completely
  • Using a cupcake corer, or a knife, make holes in each cupcake
  • Fill each hole half way with creme patisserie, then fill to the top with raspberry jam
  • To make the Italian meringue put the caster sugar and water in a pan, stir them together then bring to a boil. When the mixture reaches 112C (235F), take it off the heat and pour the sugar syrup into a jug
  • While the sugar water is coming to a boil, in a stand mixer or using an electric whisk, whisk up the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they reach soft peak stage (foamy and they are just starting to holding their shape on the whisk but not quite)
  • Then, keeping the mixer running on a medium speed, pour in the hot sugar syrup slowly. Be careful not to let the sugar syrup hit the side of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed up to high and mix until the meringue is white and shiny and holds its shape, and the bowl of the mixer feels cool
  • Dollop the meringue on top of each cupcake and use the back of a spoon to flick it around to give it texture, then use a kitchen blowtorch to brown the meringue all over
  • Serve immediately, store leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 days

Notes

  • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
  • I used a baking spread for the cupcakes, but you can use unsalted butter too.
  • If you don't want to make the creme patisserie from scratch, use a good quality shop bought custard instead.
  • For the perfect meringue, make sure your mixing bowl is grease-free. You can ensure this by wiping it with some lemon juice or vinegar, then rinsing it.
  • If you can't get hold of cream of tartar, you can use 1 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp white vinegar instead.
  • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
  • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 492IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg