Heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamed together. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time. Then sift in the dry ingredients, add the milk and mix at low speed for a few minutes until smooth and combined. Transfer to a large piping bag and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Line a muffin tray with small paper cups. Pipe each of the cups just over half full with the batter, and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

For the raspberry curd, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Allow to cool slightly, then pass through a sieve. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Italian meringue combine the sugar in a small saucepan with ½ a cup of water. Heat until the sugar reaches 110°C (use a sugar thermometer). Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl of a stand mixer to soft peaks. Meanwhile continue to heat the sugar mix. When it reaches 116°C, pour it into the whisked whites in a slow, steady stream, continuing to whisk at high speed for a further 15 minutes or so, until the bowl of the mixer feels completely cool to the touch. (If cooking with kids, be very careful with the molten sugar.) Transfer the meringue to a piping bag.

Return to the cooled cupcakes. If any of the sponge reaches over the rim of the paper case, trim with a knife. Then, using an apple corer, remove the centre of each cupcake almost to the base (though it's not a problem if it goes all the way through). Pipe in the raspberry curd to fill the centre, then pipe the meringue over the top. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes and finish by toasting each meringue lightly with a blowtorch.