Gluten-free lemon meringue cupcakes

1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 12 x ¹/³-cup muffin pan cups with paper cases.

2 In a small bowl, place spread, vanilla extract, lemon zest and ½ cup of the caster sugar. Whisk with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions (mixture will separate at this stage).

3 Transfer egg mixture to a large bowl. Stir in flour and milk alternately, until just combined. Divide batter among muffin pan cups and bake for 15 minutes. Leave cooked cupcakes to stand in muffin pans for 2 minutes.

4 Make a small hole in the top of each cupcake with a teaspoon. Spoon curd or lemon juice into cupcakes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5 Increase oven temperature to 210°C. In a dry bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until it dissolves. Fit a medium piping bag with a 2cm piping nozzle and fill with meringue mixture. Pipe onto tops of cupcakes in a circular motion. Bake for 2-3 minutes, or until meringue is light golden. Serve.