There's no denying I'm an irreversible + irreparable cupcake addict. Yes, I wake up + go to bed thinking about cupcakes. They make my soul sing ALELUYA!
So, with my hands raised up high into the air to praise the universe for the existence of cupcakes, I welcome the lovely Cecilia, food blogger + avid recipe tester + cupcake lover (see why I had to invite her to the blog?), who is making my heart pump faster than a fire cracker + my mouth melt like the Sahara with her delish' Passion Fruit Meringue Cupcakes recipe. I'll let Cecilia do her thing before I eat my computer screen.
I have yet to meet anyone who will refuse a home-made cupcake. Whether it is chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, you name the flavor, a home-made cupcake is an invitation to enjoy the little but significant moments in life.
Everyone should have one recipe that is easy to make and also easy to adapt. That way you can make it over and over again but the end product will never be exactly the same. This is why I love these cupcakes so much, and I want to share them with you.
The actual cupcakes are light and not too sweet, so you can fill them with anything you like: lemon curd, your favorite jam, flavored whipped cream, or chocolate mousse. Here I wanted to come up with a tropical variation, so I chose to fill them with passion fruit curd. Frozen passion fruit concentrate is easy to find in Latin America. Otherwise go to your nearest Hispanic food store and look for the bottled kind, it works perfectly here too.
I prefer to frost these cupcakes with 7 minute frosting because it is extremely light, fluffy and beautifully white in color, like clouds floating on the sky. But most importantly it is a cooked meringue which means less of a risk of illness due to raw egg whites. But you can frost the cupcakes with a regular meringue or your favorite frosting. I think a vanilla buttercream or even a cream cheese frosting would complement the cupcakes just as well.
cupcake batter
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- about 1 cup passion fruit curd
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cup cupcake mold with paper liners.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until hot.
3. In another bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs, yolk, and sugar until thickened. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Incorporate the flour mixture, and then slowly mix in the hot milk. Mix until the batter is smooth, but don’t over beat. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners.
4. Bake until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan, and let cool on a wire rack.
5. Pipe the passion fruit curd filling right into the cupcakes with a long piping tip. Alternatively, cut out a cone shaped piece from the cupcakes to make a hole for the filling. Cut the lower part of the cone, leaving you with a circular lid. Spoon the filling inside the holes, and replace circular lid on top of the filling.
6. Prepare the 7 minute frosting according to the directions below. Frost the cupcakes and dust some fun sprinkles over the top. Share and enjoy!
passion fruit curd
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup passion fruit concentrate
- 6 large egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1. In a medium saucepan, place the sugar, passion fruit concentrate and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. This should take about 15 minutes. Turn heat off, and add the butter pieces one by one until all the butter is incorporated. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use it. Makes about 2 cups.
7 minute frosting
- 1 cup plus 1tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1. In a small saucepan, place 1 cup of the sugar, water and corn syrup. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat without stirring until it reaches 230°F.
2. While the mixture is coming up to 235°F, in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
3. When the sugar syrup reaches 230°F, slowly pour the syrup on the inside side of the bowl while beating the egg whites on low. Once you have added all the syrup, change the speed to high, and beat for 7 minutes until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.
Recipe for cake from Cupcakes by Elinor Klivans.
Recipe for passion fruit curd and 7 minute frosting from Martha Stewart.
tips + tricks
- You can make the passion fruit curd up to three days in advance.
- You can make the cupcakes and fill them up to one day in advance.
- If you have a long piping tip like this one and piping bags you can just fill the cupcakes by inserting the point of the tip in the middle of the cupcake and squeezing the filling into it until you see the cupcake expand slightly. If you don't have a long piping tip, then just cut out cone shaped pieces from the middle top of the cupcake and spoon the filling into the holes
- Decorate your cupcake platters with simple things such as fresh flowers and colorful paper napkins.
- Silicone teacups are a fun and different presentation, and reusable.
- Don't make the 7 minute frosting on rainy or very humid days, it won't get fluffy and won't set as it should.
Hope you try to make these for your loved ones!
Cecilia
Cecilia is a food blogger, freelance recipe tester, and yoga enthusiast. Her blog One Vanilla Bean focuses on recipes with simple and pure ingredients. She enjoys recreating dishes she discovers on her travels and is a proponent of the local food movement. You can find her on twitter @onevanillabean. Cecilia grew up in Panama and currently lives in Washington, DC.
