Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 130g (4½oz) self-raising flour
  • 130g (4½oz) caster sugar
  • 130g (4½oz) butter or margarine
  • 2.5ml (½ tsp) baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-2 fresh lemons
  • 125g (4½oz) unsalted butter
  • 250g (9oz) icing sugar
  • Lemon curd
  • Candied peel (optional)

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and place appropriate number of muffin cases in a muffin tray.
  • Measure out butter and sugar into same bowl and cream together until well mixed and turns lighter in colour.
  • Measure out flour into a separate bowl and add the baking powder. Gently stir together.
  • Add 1 egg to the creamed butter and sugar along with a tablespoon of the flour and mix well. Repeat this part of the process 1 egg at a time to give a lighter mix.
  • Grate the outside of the lemon with a zester and squeeze approximately 10ml (2 tsp) of juice from the lemon.
  • Gently fold in the remaining flour, zest and lemon juice.
  • Scoop mixture into cupcake cases, about half full. An ice cream scoop is very handy for doing this.
  • Place the mixture in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to see if cooked. Cakes will be cooked when they are springy and return to shape when lightly pressed on top.
  • Leave cakes to cool on a wire rack.
  • For the butter icing soften the butter.
  • Carefully add icing sugar to avoid clouds of icing dust.
  • Mix until fully incorporated and butter icing becomes whiter. You can do this by hand but a mixer makes it much easier – just keep the mixer on a slow speed.
  • Optional, add a little lemon essence or fresh squeezed lemon juice to the mixture to give it an extra “zing”.
  • Make little wells in the top of each cupcake using an apple corer and fill with lemon curd.
  • Using a large star nozzle, pipe swirls of butter icing onto the cakes.
  • Decorate with drizzles of lemon curd, sugar crystal sprinkles and some candied peel.