chocolate meringue cupcakes

okay, if you look at the watermark in the picture, you can see that it was taken waaaaay back in 2009. that was the first time i tried this vanderful, VANDERFUL recipe. i was, as usual, very skeptical about recipe books, but, i was bored that day and decided to do something else for a change. let it be known that it was my first ever meringue anything. and to my surprise, it turned out great. there...you see? what your parents told you is *ehem* sometimes true, 'you never know until you try'.

okaylah, i share with you this recipe taken from here. a brilliant book and one that has yet to fail me. ready? let's go!!

ingredients:

for the cupcake

225g unsalted butter, softened

225g caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

for the filling

100g plain chocolate chips

for the meringue

3 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

75g granulated sugar

the how to:

1)  preheat oven to 175°C (350°F/Gas mark 4). line muffin tin with cups.

2)  place all the cupcake ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and pale, about 2 -3 minutes.  spoon batter into the muffin tin. bake for 20 minutes.

3)  remove tin from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. then, remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

4)  for the filling, melt the chocolate in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water and cool slightly. (i sometimes cheat and 'nuke' the chocolate in the microwave).

5)  remove the top from each cupcake and hollow out a small hole. spoon the filling into the hole and replace the top. refrigerate until set.

6)  for the meringue, beat the eggs and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

7)  add one-third of the sugar and beat for 1 minute. repeat until all the sugar has been added.

8)  increase the oven temperature to 230°C (450°F/Gas mark 8).

9)  spoon or pipe the meringue on top of the cupcakes. bake for 5 minutes or until golden.

10) store for no more than 1 day in an airtight container.

voila!

okay, okay...quite a lot of steps to follow for this particular one...but! it is ALL worth it. i'm tellin' ya.

i shall leave you to now so that you can pencil this recipe in your calendar.

come back soon, aight?

recipe source: 500 cupcake and muffins by fergal connolly
book image taken from: amazon.com.uk *thank you!*