Strawberry Italian Meringue "Frosting" - Super Easy and Delicious!!!

AUTHOR: Danielle Walker - Original Recipe

ICes: 1 Dozen cupcakes 

(I used my Chocolate Cake Recipe for the Cupcakes)

Ingredients: 

• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons strawberry preserves (freshly pureed strawberries will work too)

Instructions:

1. Bring your honey to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy and you can just begin to see trail marks from your beaters. When you lift out the beaters, you should see soft peaks.
3. With the beaters or mixer running, slowly pour in the boiling honey in a steady stream. Continue beating for 6-8 minutes, until the meringue is cool to the touch.
4. Gently fold in the strawberry preserves. Put the frosting into a piping bag for a pretty design, or spread onto cupcakes with a knife.

Tips

1. For easier separation, separate the whites from the yolks when they are cold.
2. Meringue will not stiffen if you use a dirty bowl (usually because of leftover oil) or let any of the yolk get in with the whites
3. Over beating will cause the meringue to fall. Stop once you can lift the beaters out and see stiff peaks.
4. The frosting needs to be piped immediately and is best served immediately as well. Once it’s on the cupcakes though, it will hold up in the refrigerator for 24 hours.