Cupcake Jemma’s Italian Meringue Macarons

Ingredients

• 205 g icing sugar
• 190 g finely ground almonds
• 144 g egg whites, divided into two 72 g portions
• 60 ml water
• 190 g caster sugar
• Gel or paste food colouring, optional
• Ganache, buttercream, curd or another firm filling, as needed

Method

1. Line two or three flat baking trays with parchment paper or silicone macaron mats. Fit a piping bag with a 1cm round nozzle.
2. Place the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor. Pulse briefly until the mixture is very fine, taking care not to process it long enough for the almonds to release oil.
3. Sift the almond and icing sugar mixture into a large mixing bowl. Discard any coarse pieces that remain in the sieve.
4. Add one 72g portion of egg whites to the almond mixture. Stir with a spatula to make a thick, smooth almond paste.
5. Add food colouring to the almond paste if using. Choose gel or paste colouring rather than liquid colouring so the consistency is not diluted.
6. Place the remaining 72g egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
7. Put the caster sugar and water into a small saucepan. Heat without stirring and monitor the temperature with a sugar thermometer.
8. When the sugar syrup reaches about 110°C, begin whisking the egg whites at medium speed until they become frothy.
9. As soon as the syrup reaches 118°C, remove it from the heat.
10. With the mixer running, slowly pour the hot syrup down the inside of the bowl, avoiding the moving whisk.
11. Increase the mixer speed and whisk for about 5–6 minutes, until the Italian meringue is glossy, holds a soft peak and has cooled to around room temperature.
12. Mix one generous spoonful of meringue firmly into the almond paste to loosen it.
13. Add the remaining meringue and fold gently with a silicone spatula, scraping around the bowl and cutting through the centre.
14. Continue folding only until the batter falls from the spatula in a slow ribbon and gradually settles back into the mixture. Avoid overmixing.
15. Transfer the batter to the prepared piping bag.
16. Holding the bag vertically, pipe evenly sized rounds onto the prepared trays, leaving about 2.5cm between them.
17. Tap each tray firmly against the worktop several times to release trapped air. Pop any visible surface bubbles with a cocktail stick.
18. Leave the piped macarons uncovered for approximately 30–60 minutes, until the surface feels dry and does not stick to a fingertip.
19. Preheat the oven to 160°C. For the most reliable result, check the temperature with a separate oven thermometer.
20. Bake one tray at a time for approximately 12 minutes.
21. Check the shells gently. If the tops still slide separately from the bases, bake them for another 1–2 minutes.
22. Slide the parchment or silicone mat off the hot tray and leave the shells to cool completely before removing them.
23. Pair shells of similar size. Pipe a small amount of ganache, buttercream, curd or another firm filling onto one shell and sandwich it with a matching shell.
24. For the best texture, refrigerate the filled macarons in an airtight container overnight, then allow them to return towards room temperature before serving.