rose meringue cupcakes with a kirsch & cherry jam filling

… a few months ago I was invited to join a special group of male bloggers on facebook.  It’s just a little meeting place where a few of us rare-breed male bakers can share recipes and cooking ideas and  generally encourage each other towards greatness.  We’ve also decided to set ourselves a monthly challenge to cook anything we like as long as it includes that months theme, there’s no pressure to take part but there are a lot of bloggers in the group that i’d not come across before and it’s nice to link up to all those bloggers and spread some baking love… this months theme is meringue.

rose meringue cupcakes with a raspberry jam filling
my main inspiration for these cupcakes are these stunning little beauties over on Janice’s blog… it was the stewed apple filling that really got me going and that’s when I remembered that my old friend Satu bought me a cupcake corer years ago and i’ve never used it… last week I also attended a fun launch event for Billington’s sugar.  The event was to promote their new campaign called #BakeFace which is encouraging us all to take pictures of our face whilst eating cakes… a bit daft, I know but it’s all in the name of fun and if you upload your pic to their on-line gallery you could be in the chance with winning some baking fun… of course we left the event with a bag full of Billingtons goodies so in their honour i’m using some of their gorgeous golden caster sugar to make these cupcakes.  It’s a lovely, light and frothy basic cupcake recipe that i’ve adapted from the Primrose Bakery book of Cupcakes and it’s a winner.

for the cupcakes
110g slightly salted butter at room temp
225g Billington’s golden caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
275g plain flour sifted with
2 teaspoons baking powder
120ml milk
1 teaspoon rose water
1 tablespoon kirsch liquor
2 tablespoons cherry jam

for the rose and meringue buttercream icing
110g unsalted butter at room temp
60ml milk
1 teaspoon rose water
500g icing sugar – sifted
2 meringue nests – crushed
one drop of red food colouring

pre-heat the oven to 160C fan assisted and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with paper cases

in a large bowl using a hand-held electric whisk, cream the sugar and butter for about 5 mins until it is light and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time, beating for a few minutes after each egg is added

add the rose water to the milk

weigh the flour together with the baking powder and then sift one third into the batter and whisk in followed by a third of the milk whilst beating, continue until all the flour and milk has been used

carefully spoon into your cupcake cases until 2/3rds full and then bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden and risen.  Let them cool in the tray for 10 mins then remove and place on a wire rack until completely cool

next, make the icing… in a large bowl beat the milk, butter, rose water and half the icing until smooth which can take several minutes with a hand-held electric whisk, then add the remaining icing sugar and any food colouring and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy.

break one of the meringue nests into a million pieces and gently beat these in to the icing

prepare the kirsch filling by mixing together the kirsch liquor and cherry name and then you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes… take your corer and core out the centre of each cupcake, then fill each hole with the jam and cover liberally with icing… sprinkle large chunks of meringue on top

… don’t forget to check out all the other Baking Boy Bloggers on the list in my right-hand column and everyone who’s taken part in this months challenge… oh and if you’re a baking boy then feel free to join our gang over on Facebook.

other great meringue recipes from the Baking Boy Bloggers:

Eton Mess Fudge from The Crafty Larder
Carrot Cake Meringue Pie from Cakeboi
Tart au Citron meringue from Les Plaisirs Sucres d’Antoine
Cataron from Oh la vache!

because i’ve used kirsch as a main ingredient I am entering these cupcakes into this months AlphaBakes which has the letter K to be thankful for… AlphaBakes is hosted by Caroline from Caroline Bakes and Ros from The More Than Occasional Baker.

eat and of course, enjoy!