John's fairy muffins
Today John Whaite brings a very special guest into the Lorraine kitchen - his mum! To celebrate Mothering Sunday this weekend the pair are here to show us how to make their fruity meringue fairy muffins.
(Makes 12)
Ingredients:
225g self raising flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda150g caster sugarZest of 2 lemons100ml lemonade125ml whole milk2 large eggs125ml sunflower oil
For the filling:
12 tsp lemon or passion fruit curd 4 large egg whites225g caster sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5
Line a 12-hole deep muffin tray with muffin cases
Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda then stir through the caster sugar and lemon zest - stir with a whisk, to ensure everything is well blended
In a jug or another bowl, beat together the lemonade, milk, eggs and oil until well mixed. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the batter comes together smoothly - again, do this with a whisk to avoid over-mixing.
Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases, filling them almost entirely full, just under 1 centimetre from the edge of the muffin case
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack
Once the muffins are baked, remove the centre with an apple corer - do not go all the way through the muffin, just halfway. Fill the holes with the curd.
For the Swiss meringue, put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof mixing bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Using a handheld electric whisk, whisk the mixture until it feels slightly hot to the finger, then remove from the heat and continue whisking until very stiff and voluminous.
Spread or pipe the meringue on to the muffins, and serve. If you have a chef's blow torch, lightly brown the meringue to give an extra depth of flavour.