It's a baking day!

I had been intending to go into the lab today and get a load of work done, but seeing as it's horribly snowy and icy outside, I decided that it'd be better spent as a baking day instead. So while the spelt bread's rising, I thought I'd make cupcakes. Usually, when I see a recipe I tweak it slightly to my liking - this time around though, the only thing I've changed is that I substituted 1tsp of vanilla extract for the vanilla pod, because I'm too cheap to use real vanilla pods! The recipe I used is this one, from a Channel 4 programme.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the lemon curd

• 90g Caster sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 55g Butter
• 1 Egg
  

For the cake

• 100g Butter
• 100g Caster sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 100g Plain flour
• 1/2tsp Baking powder
• Zest of 1 lemon
  

For the Italian meringue

• 50ml Water
• 100ml Caster sugar
• 2 Egg whites

Method

1. Whisk all of the ingredients for the lemon curd together over a double boiler and cook over steadily simmering water for ~10mins, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla for the cake together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Fold in the flour and lemon zest.
6. Spoon a few teaspoons of the cake batter into cupcake cases. Add one teaspoon of lemon curd, then cover with more cake batter.
7. Bake at 180C for 15-20 mins until golden brown and the cupcake centre springs back after being lightly pressed.
8. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
9. Dissolve the caster sugar in the water over a gentle heat to form a syrup.
10. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
11. Gradually pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites while whisking continuously, and whisk until thick and glossy.
12. Pipe the meringue over the top of the cupcakes and gently toast with a blow torch.

Here's the lemon curd at the end of step 1.Ready for the oven. The batter feels a little thick.Straight out of the oven - they're looking pretty good!Check out my meringue! How amazing does that look?!I can't pipe very well :o(.But they still look pretty gorgeous when toasted, no?