Lemon & Chocolate Spring Cupcakes 🐥

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 190C and line a cupcake tray with 30 paper cases.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, cacao powder and salt and combine. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together then add one egg at a time while stirring. Tip in the vanilla extract, lemon zest and chocolate chips and mix.

Slowly beat the flour, cacao powder and salt mixture into the butter while mixing.

Carefully divide the cake mixture between the paper cases and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until they're cooked all the way through. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before icing.

Icing

In a bowl, combine the butter and lemon juice. Tip in the icing sugar a little at a time while mixing. Once the frosting becomes creamy, add the lemon zest and a small amount of turmeric until the icing turns yellow.

If the icing is too runny, add extra icing sugar. Pipe on top of the cupcakes and place in the fridge to set.

Meringue

Preheat the oven to 125C. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Tip in the sugar while whisking until the peaks turn stiff and glossy.

Add the juice of one lemon, stir and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Pipe small meringue drops on to the baking paper and place in the oven until crisp (around an hour).

Once cooled, decorate the meringues and place on top of the iced cupcakes using left over icing to fix the meringue to the cake.