M is for Meringue Cupcakes

Dear Readers,

Today I did something wonderful. I made a cupcake like one I've never made before. Meringue cupcakes with fresh strawberry and raspberry compote and finished with a little whipped creme fraiche.

The downside to making these cupcakes is that they take over 3 hours to bake (not to mention a good 45 minutes of prep), are EXTREMELY fragile to work with, and after all that hard work you'll only end up with about a dozen cupcakes. Because they're so fragile, I only ended up with 7 workable cupcakes.

The upside to these cupcakes: they taste amazing. The meringue is crispy, yet it melts in your mouth like a sweet treat from heaven. The berry compote is just the right combination of tart and sweet and compliments the melting sugar sensation you get from the cake. And the creme fraiche (french sour cream) adds just a tad of savory to calm the sweet.

Shay, Chris, Lucas, and myself taste tested these divine morsels, and the verdict is:

Chris: 15 thumbs up. He said it's the best treat I've ever made.

Shay: Delicious, but a bit to sweet and rich for his tastes. He finished it though.

Lucas: Yum.

Heather: Although I typically prefer a chocolate dessert, this cupcake had such a variety of flavors and textures that I could never turn it down.

Please note that this is not a recipe for the weak hearted baker. Meringue is very temperamental and requires more patience than a two year child with ADD.

All in all, it was a Saturday well spent!

Sincerely,
h.