Don't give up! Typically, a MS recipe is pretty reliable. In this case with the meringue frosting recipe that is offered, I would NOT recommend using. I believe the failure lies in the ratio of water to egg white. The fix: I pulled a MS meringue frosting recipe from a previous MS cake publication that uses 8 egg whites, rather than 6. This also gives the baker an opportunity to use the whites from the 8 yolks used in the lemon curd recipe. I believe that Martha’s testing was not on her game in this total recipe given its original format. I put many hours and batches together to make a final product worth 2 thumbs up. Even though the 7 minute frosting that I'm making now is perfection, I'm still displeased with how it pipes onto the cupcake and will now test with cream of tarter for additional stability, which means using some one else's recipe. Tweaked version: 3 C APF 1 TB Baking Powder 1/4 tsp salt. Use kosher, not table salt. 2 C sugar 3 lemons (3 TB) grated zest PLUS 2 tablespoons fresh lemon. See: Tweak notes. Tweak: Use Meyer Lemons. A better taste. No zest. Only 1/2 C, less 2tsp. 1 C butter milk 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter. Use regular, local butter. Do not use high fat or fancy expensive butter. Makes the crumb heavy. 4 large eggs 1 tsp van ext 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix together vanilla, buttermilk and lemon juice. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each. 3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers. Lemon Curd for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes and Seven Minute Frosting Baker's NOTE: Core the cupcake and fill with lemon curd! 4. To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately. 8 large egg yolks ½ C plus 2 TB fresh lemon juice (3 lemons). Regular yellow. Zest of 2 lemons. Optional. 1 C Sugar 10 TB unsalted butter. Use regular, not fancy or high fat. Use stock pot and glass bowl to fit over rim. 1. Combine yolks, lemon zest (optional), lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. 2.Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Optional if using zest. 2. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Seven-Minute Frosting for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Tweaked the frosting and a few practice runs later, pretty close to perfect. Use the large ceramic crock pot insert for bowl, if using a hand mixer. The frosting grows and the bowl size is perfect. Recipe: use large stock pot. 2 1/4 C Sugar 2/3 C water 3 TB lite corn syrup 8 large egg whites. Do not use carton processed egg whites. 2 tsp vanilla Reserve 1/4 cup sugar: Bring 2 cups sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil. Stirring until temp reaches 235 degrees. Use large bowl for egg white. At the same time, whisk egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 C sugar. Once sugar reaches 235 degrees. Pour into Pyrex measuring cup. Then pour down side of crock pot bowl of egg whites the hot sugar syrup. Whisk on high for 7 minutes. Should be stiff and glossy. Add vanilla. Pipe onto cupcakes immediately. Place under broiler until golden highlights. Let cool and eat immediately, or put in fridge and serve within 4 - 8 hours.

When beating egg whites, you have to be careful to not over-beat them. Continuing to beat them will have the opposite effect because the proteins in the eggs that help hold the shape get broken down and there's no way to rebuild them. Baking is part science, and part love. In the future, go by the speed that makes sense; not what the instructions on the mixer says. In other words, medium-low might act more like medium, low like medium, etc. Working with egg whites just takes practice.