Coffee Meringue Cupcake: All I want to say is "Thank you"

I think this cake will be my way of saying "Thank you", ^^. Last month, I got an email from Khun Kapook (Kapook is her name and Khun is like Mr or Miss in english), she told me that she will come to Thailand and really want to see me, because she has a gift for me.

Actually, we don't know each other before, just send and reply the email, haha, but I felt good that the my blog help me find more friend. But we didn't have a chance to meet each other, -*-, well I just couldn't manage my schedule, so she told me that she will send the gift for me.


And yes, this is the book from Khun Kapook, very lovely book, ". After getting it, I want to try the recipe in the book so much anyway, it takes sometime for me, haha.
But at last I still didn't use the recipe from the book, well, I love the idea of this coffee meringue cake very much (and there are many cute cake recipes and  in the book).
But the cake recipe for this cake is a pound cake, which I think it will be too heavy for my mom (who is the best customer when I make coffee flavored cake,, hehe). So I change the cake into butter cake instead, and for the meringue, the French meringue is easy to make but it won't last long (it will lose its shape real soon after you whipped it), and it's raw. I have to change it into the Italian meringue for 1, the healthier reason (my nephew and my niece can eat it) it's safer because the meringue will be cooked with the hot sugar syrup and 2, the texture of Italian meringue is very good, and you can let it sit for a while without being worried. 
From the lovely book, here come my beautiful cupcakes, ^^. Even I didn't use the recipe from the book, the inspiration that the book gives me is priceless. So, let me use this blog as a "Thank you card" for Khun Kapook. 

Coffee Meringue Cupcake

Makes 6 standard size cupcakes

Cupcake

50g .................................. Butter

80g .................................. Sugar

1 ....................................... Egg

.......................................... A pinch of salt

60ml ................................ Half and half

100g ................................ Cake flour

1tsp .................................. Baking powder

1tsp .................................. Coffee extract 

* If you don't have the coffee extract, use 1 tsp instant coffee powder + 1tsp hot water instead.

30ml ................................ Coffee liqueur

Meringue
2 ........................................ Egg whites
100g ................................. Sugar
40g ................................... Water

Coffee extract

 Preheat the oven to 170 °C

Place the baking paper in to the cupcake tins.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Beat the butter, salt and sugar until light and puffy, add the coffee extract and beat to combine.

Put the egg in to the batter and beat until combine. 

Divide the flour mixture into 3, put 1/3 of the flour mixture into the batter, stir with a spatula, when combine, add half of the half and half, follow with 1/3 of the flour, stir again then add the rest of the half and half. Finish with the rest of the flour, mix to combine.

Scoop the batter into the tins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cake is spring when touch lightly.

Use the bamboo stick to prick all over the cakes, then sprinkle with liqueur (about 1tsp of liqueur per 1 cup cake). 

Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C

Make the Italian meringue:

In a sauce pan, put the sugar and water and bring to boil over medium low heat.
When the syrup reaches 100°C, start whisking the egg whites.

The syrup is ready when it reaches 117°C; pour it over the egg whites and continue whisking until stiff (you don't have to wait until it cool to use it).

Spoon the meringue on top of the cakes and spread into peaks and swirls with a palette knife. (try to cover all the top of the cake, so it won't dry out when baking) 
Put the cake bake in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the meringue turn into light brown color.

Coffee Meringue Cupcake:

 All I want to say is "Thank you"