Blueberry Meringue Cupcakes

Everyone loves a good cupcake right? Well in an effort to make cupcakes healthy these have blueberries in them! Who I’m kidding, they’re just as unhealthy as ever. A few blueberries int he sponge gives a lovely tangy twist with the optional extra of sweet blueberry jam and then the meringue in the icing makes these like a blueberry twist on an Eton Mess! If you’re partial to a blueberry muffin then try this indulgent alternative!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

80g unsalted butter
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
240ml whole milk
2 eggs
1tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
about 30 blueberries

For the buttercream and filling:

500g icing sugar
160g unsalted butter
50ml milk
crushed meringue – 20g or 2 medium sized supermarket bought nests
1 tsp Dr Oetker gel purple food colouring
blueberry jam

Method

Whisk the butter, caster sugar, flour, salt and baking powder together until thoroughly mixed
In a separate bowl add the milk and whisk in the eggs
Slowly add the milk mixture to the other mixture whisking all the time until it becomes a smooth batter
Line a muffin tin with cases and distribute the batter into them – filling each about 1/2-2/3 full. Pop 1-2 blueberries in each cake case.
Put in the oven at 190 degrees celsius and bake for about 18mins or until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool whilst making the frosting
For the frosting mix the icing sugar with the butter until completely mixed in.
Beat in the milk and meringue until light and fluffy.
Add in the colouring and mix until the color is even.
Ice the cakes when completely cool, either with a piping bag or palette knife

Extra Step! If you’re feeling adventurous, before you ice the cakes, with a knife or cutter, hollow out about a 1cm wide hole in the middle of each cupcake, fill with blueberry jam and then recover with sponge and proceed with the icing!

Happy eating :)