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Lemon Cupcakes
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Lemon Cupcakes
I cannot resist a cupcake, and this is the perfect sunshine version, to be taken on picnics or eaten at home.
- Preparation time: 25 minutes
- Cooking time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
-
Total time:
45 minutes, plus cooling
Makes: 24
Ingredients
- 250g self-raising flour
- 250g very soft unsalted butter
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk, to bind
- Icing
- 500g packet royal icing sugar
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 24 sugar flowers
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6 and line a couple of 12-bun cupcake or muffin tins with paper cases.
- Blitz all the cupcake ingredients, except the milk, in a food processor till fully combined. Process again, adding enough milk to make a batter with a smooth, flowing texture, then remove the blade and spoon the batter equally into the cases. Remember the cakes rise as they bake: there's enough mixture to fill each case adequately.
- Bake for around 20 minutes, by which time the sponge should be cooked through and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes or so, then arrange the cupcakes in their papers on a couple of wire racks to cool.
- Once they're cool, you can get on with the icing. Whisk the royal icing sugar with the lemon juice until thick and smooth: you want the icing to sit thickly on the cupcakes, not run off them. I like the icing coolly white, but if you want to go for full-on sun, then add a drop of yellow food colouring. No purist stance is intended here: after all, I now require you to top each cake with a sugar flower.
Comments
This recipe was first published in July 2005.
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