A hint of summer
As the summer holidays are finally upon us, and the weather has gotten surprisingly warm, I thought I'd share a refreshing, and light cake perfect to enjoy even in the warm weather.
Lemon cakes are my favourite type, with the tangy sour edge that they provide, paired with the soft light sponge provides a refreshing mouthfeel.
Lemon cupcakes
Preparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 12-15 minutes
Serves: 6 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cakes:- 150g softened butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 3 free range eggs
- 150g self raising flour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
For the buttercream:
- 200g icing sugar
- 100g softened butter
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Drizzle of lemon curd for the center and on top
Method:
Firstly, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
Place the softened butter, and sugar into a bowl and mix together until fully combined, and of a creamy consistency.
One at a time, slowly add the eggs, ensuring that you mix thoroughly between each addition to incorporate plenty of air.
Grate the zest of the lemon into the mixture, and add the juice.
Sift the flour into the mixture, and gently fold in using a metal spoon to prevent knocking out the air incorporated earlier.
Place the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, filling them till they are 2/3 of the way full. Place on the middle shelf in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to touch.
Meanwhile, to make the lemon buttercream, place the softened butter into a bowl and stir with a spoon to make it smooth to prevent clumps forming. Next sift in the icing sugar, and thoroughly mix until fully combined.
Finally, slowly add the lemon juice until the icing is of a pipe-able consistency. Be careful not to add too much as the icing may curdle, so add small bits at a time.
Once the cakes are cooked, place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely before placing the icing on top.
For the decoration in the pictures above, I prepared an icing bag with a Wilton 2D six point star nozzle and piped from the outside inwards. I then, using a plain nozzle, placed a small amount of lemon curd on top. You could also decorate with a slice of lemon to finish the look.
Place the softened butter, and sugar into a bowl and mix together until fully combined, and of a creamy consistency.
One at a time, slowly add the eggs, ensuring that you mix thoroughly between each addition to incorporate plenty of air.
Grate the zest of the lemon into the mixture, and add the juice.
Sift the flour into the mixture, and gently fold in using a metal spoon to prevent knocking out the air incorporated earlier.
Place the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, filling them till they are 2/3 of the way full. Place on the middle shelf in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to touch.
Meanwhile, to make the lemon buttercream, place the softened butter into a bowl and stir with a spoon to make it smooth to prevent clumps forming. Next sift in the icing sugar, and thoroughly mix until fully combined.
Finally, slowly add the lemon juice until the icing is of a pipe-able consistency. Be careful not to add too much as the icing may curdle, so add small bits at a time.
Once the cakes are cooked, place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely before placing the icing on top.
For the decoration in the pictures above, I prepared an icing bag with a Wilton 2D six point star nozzle and piped from the outside inwards. I then, using a plain nozzle, placed a small amount of lemon curd on top. You could also decorate with a slice of lemon to finish the look.
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these super simple, yet delicious cupcakes, fit for a sunny day!
Happy Baking.
Popular Posts
-
Happy New Year! I hope whoever is reading this had a fun filled, and exciting end to 2017, and are raring to go at the start of the new... -
As the weather is starting to get slightly more spring like I thought I would share these tangy and delicious rhubarb crumble cupcakes....