Lemon meringue cupcakes for Munchkin Granny

Last weekend Munchkin Granny and Eco Sis came to visit to help celebrate Munchkin Granny's birthday. We had a nice day of lunch out, a potter in town, and then some dinner and a play. And, of course, cake. I like a good excuse to bake a cake, so had spent some time going through my collection of recipes. Eventually I settled on some lemon meringue cupcakes from Baking Bites blog. While sometimes a 'throw it together' cake is very satisfying, one which involves a bit more effort is more rewarding when you're making it for an occasion. This recipe had three parts: the cakes, which were a nice easy lemony sponge; the lemon curd, which is always an ego-booster as people are invariably surprised when you've made it yourself; and a meringue topping. Meringues always featured in our childhood Christmases with our grandparents in Brighton, so I have a bit of a soft spot for them. You simply make the cakes, and when they're cooled, pipe in some lemon curd to the centres. I don't have a proper piping bag, but a baking parchment one worked fine. I did both of these stages the day before, and then made the meringue topping, spread it on, and browned it all under the grill just before serving. The meringue made them look a bit special, and they were a real winner on taste, too - really lemony, while the meringue was nice and soft. I halved the mixture and made 9 rather than 18.

This is the cakes before toasting...



...and this is afterwards. Happy birthday Munchkin Granny!