Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Meringue

Had the urge to make cupcakes for a little while now, so I used my section's turn to bring snacks to chorus tonight as an excuse to make some. I used the Essential Chocolate Cake Recipe from Dede Wilson's Wedding Cakes You Can Make; basically the same recipe I used for the wedding cake last year. I also wanted to try using a meringue instead of a buttercream as the frosting. I used an italian buttercream recipe, melted sugar poured into whipped egg whites, and just left out the butter. Also added some instant coffee for a flavor I thought would complement the chocolate cake well. The meringue looked really good piped into a swirl on the cupcakes. I used my little culinary torch to toast the outside a bit, like you'd see on a lemon meringue pie. After 24 cupcakes, I still had quite a bit of meringue left, so I piped it into swirls on a baking sheet and popped it into the oven to make meringue cookies. Crispy.