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Pound Cake Cupcakes with Watercolor Meringue Frosting- Classic pound cake, but, in a cupcake! These are then topped off with fluffy as a cloud watercolor meringue.
Pound cake. Delicious, yes. However, I find that the baking of the pound cake takes just too darn long. Plus, no matter how long I bake it, it always seems to never bake properly.
Is that just me? Probably. Anyway, to get that great taste of a classic pound cake, but, with quicker baking time, I have opted to make cupcakes with my batter.
They are just as yum as your classic buttery pound cake, but, with half the baking time. Plus, we topped these with a pretty watercolor meringue frosting!
Ingredients
- Flour + Baking powder
- Sugar
- Butter
- Sour cream (plain Greek yogurt is a great alternative!)
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Lemon juice
- Food coloring
How to Make Watercolor Meringue Frosting
- Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card.
- First, make your meringue.
- Then, insert a piping tip in an empty piping bag. Using a large jar or glass, insert the empty piping bag into the empty jar/glass. Take the edges of the piping bag and pull them around the rim of the jar/glass.
- Next, paint or drip your desired amount/colors of food dye along the inside of the piping bag.
- Fill the piping bag with the meringue and pipe it on your cupcakes.
Not a fan of Meringue?
Obviously, you don't have to use meringue topping on these cupcakes. You can frost them with any flavor you wish. However, these cupcakes, like pound cake are dense and rich. So, I recommend using something a bit lighter than buttercream for them. For example, whipped topping or whipped cream are good options.
Used in This Post
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Pound Cake Cupcakes with Watercolor Meringue Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Watercolor Meringue:
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 3-4 different colors of food coloring
Instructions
- Prep the Oven & Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the 1 cup of sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Finish the Batter: Gradually add the flour mixture and sour cream to the wet ingredients. Alternate between the two until the batter is completely combined and smooth.
- Bake: Divide the batter equally among the 12 lined cupcake wells. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- Start the Meringue: In a clean mixing bowl equipped with a whisk attachment, beat the room-temperature egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the lemon juice and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- Add Meringue Sugar: Gradually add the 3/4 cup of sugar a little bit at a time (about 1/8 cup increments works perfectly). Do not dump it all in at once, as this may deflate the egg whites. Continue to beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Prep the Piping Bag: Insert a piping tip into your piping bag. Stand the bag upright inside a large glass or jar, pulling the open edges of the bag over the rim to hold it steady.
- Paint the Watercolor Effect: Using your food coloring, paint or drip your 3 to 4 chosen colors directly onto the inside walls of the empty piping bag. The placement and amount of colors are completely up to your design preference!
- Frost the Cupcakes: Spoon your white meringue mixture directly into the center of the painted piping bag (right on top of the food coloring lines). Pipe the frosting onto your cooled cupcakes to watch the watercolor marble pattern emerge.