Sunday 1 May 2011

If life hands you lemons...make cupcakes!

When the sun comes out and you start to fill up with the joys of being able to go out of the house without a scarf or a precautionary brolly, this is generally when I get 'lemon fever' and I also eat a lot of salads. These are two of my favourite lemon cupcakes.

The first is a Chop's Cakes classic the lemon and raspberry jam filled cupcake if I tell you the recipe I will have to kill you and i'm too young to go to prison. These were actually for an order I had for an Easter Summer Party, I much prefer topping my cupcakes with fruit as I don't think you can get anything prettier.




I recently bought a lemon drizzle cake from Marks and Spencer and devoured it with a bottle of Chardonnay, I don't know whether it was the wine but it was so good I had to make them in cupcake form.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
Zest of 2 lemons
200g Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100ml whole milk


  • Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with 12 cases.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and then stir in the lemon zest.
  • If using an electric mixer whck it up to a high speed and gradually add the eggs in splish by splash (I usually beat my eggs up ini a measuring jug so they are easier to pour into the batter).
  • Alternate sifting the flour and baking soda with a drop of milk until all is incorporated.
  • Spoon into cupcake tray (use an ice cream scoop for accuracy to ensure you dont have some cakes smaller than others) bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Lemon Drizzle
100g caster sugar
Juice of 2 lemons

  • While the cakes are baking mix together the sugar and lemon juice.
  • It is important that you spoon on the drizzle while the cakes are warm or the cakes will not absorb enough drizzle to make them moist.
  • Leave to cool, I like to mix up a little icing sugar with the left over lemon juice and drizzle it on the top aswell.