Recipe

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 12 cupcake papers.

Step 2: Cream the butter, sugar, and seeds from the vanilla bean together in a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, until pale, fluffy, and well combined.

Step 3: Crack in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until both are fully incorporated into the mixture. Fold in the sifted flour and lemon zest until well combined.

Step 4: Spoon the cupcake batter into the cupcake papers. Add 1 tsp lemon curd to the top of each cupcake.

Step 5: Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are pale golden-brown and spring back when pressed lightly in the centre.

Step 6: Meanwhile, for the meringue, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. The mixture should be thick and glossy.

Step 7: When the cakes are cooked, turn off the oven and preheat the broiler to its highest setting.

Step 8: Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag* with a small plain tip and pipe in a spiral on top of each cupcake. Place the cupcakes under the hot broiler for 2 minutes to brown (or you can use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue).

* For mess-free filling of the pastry bag, put the bag into a tall glass or measuring cup and fold the top over the edges. Fill the bag (don’t over-fill it) before removing it from the glass to use.

See more recipes from Eric Lanlard.

Reprinted with permission from Eric Lanlard’s Cake Boy (2011 Mitchell Beazley).