Pink Meringue Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd

Filled with raspberry curd, berries, and crème fraîche, these cupcakes are overflowing with love. Light as air, this ethereal dessert takes the cupcake to new heights. In fact, there's no cake here at all: Meringue tinted pink is baked in the familiar cups, split, and filled with raspberry curd, berries, and crème fraîche. Serve them to all who love sweets, and be ready for raves.

vegetable oil cooking spray, for baking cups
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
gel-paste food coloring in Tulip Red 
2 cups crème fraîche
1-6 oz container raspberries, halved if large
1 recipe Raspberry Curd

Preheat oven to 225°F.  Line every other cup of 2 nonstick 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups; coat with cooking spray.

Whisk egg whites, vinegar, vanilla, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1¾ cups sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, making sure the sugar dissolves. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in 6 drops food colouring.

Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a plain coupler (no tip), and pipe into prepared baking cups, about 2” above rims, finishing with a peak in the centers. Bake, rotating halfway through, 3-3 hours and 20 minutes. (Cupcakes should be completely dry on the outside but still soft in the middle. A toothpick inserted horizontally at base of top should have moist but cooked crumbs attached.) Transfer cupcakes in baking cups to wire racks; let cool completely.

Beat crème fraîche and remaining cup sugar in a clean mixer bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Carefully slice off tops of cupcakes using a serrated knife. (Run the knife just above the liner and slowly work your way to the center.) Top each cupcake with 2 Tbsp. raspberry curd, a few raspberries, and 2 Tbsp. crème fraîche mixture. Replace tops, and serve immediately.

Makes 1 dozen.