Tag: #lemoncupcakes

Old Skool Lemon Cupcakes
Alliyah Dawud
August 3, 2019

There are two extremes in my home; there’s the die hard chocolate cake addicts and the zesty lemon party. There is no in between. Well maybe when it comes to a plain sponge covered in lashings of buttercream or layers of fondant.

So when I make cupcakes for Birthdays I know instantly that one of the two fierce women in the house (that would be my daughters for new readers) is going to be disappointed and scream life isn’t fair.

I’m a huge fan of citrus. From lemon cakes to lemon dressings to sitting eating half a dozen satsumas. I love it.

Nothing in my opinion beats an old fashioned lemon drizzle however I went for a lemon cupcake with a lemon icing for these beauties.

To make 18 cupcakes (I used muffin sized) you will need:

300 grams castor sugar
300 grams butter (softened-I zap it in the microwave)
300 grams self raising flour (sifted)
6 eggs; beaten (I used medium sized)
1 TBSP (level) baking powder
Zest and juice of 4 large-ish lemons.
I note bloggers say use unwaxed lemons. If those are a bit pricey you buy cheaper ones that maybe waxed, placed them in hot water and carefully give the lemons are a rub. The wax should come off.

For the icing you will need:

500 grams icing sugar
200-250 grams butter. I use 200 grams as I like a stiffer icing.
Lemon flavouring (I don’t use lemon juice because the icing becomes runny. I also so not use the lemon zest as it clogs up my nozzles).

As my cupcakes were 80s themed I dyed the icing. I used neon yellow and neon pink.
I dyed half the icing pink and the other half yellow. I then added scoops to the icing bag and it created a lovely swirly affect icing.

Nozzle of your choice & icing bag.
Pre-heat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.
Place 18 muffin cases in your muffin tins. I have a few baking tins so I manage to do this in one go. If you have bake in batches just remember the oven will be warm when you place the second lot in so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

1) Beat the sugar and butter together. You can do this by hand or in a mixer. I find both work well. Stop beating when you have a creamy consistency.
2) Add a bit of the egg mixture in and beat it. Keep adding and beating until you run out of eggs. Don’t worry if it looks a bit runny. It will work out after you add the flour.
3) Add scoops of the flour and stir in. Add the baking powder and stir through.
4) Now add the lemon juice and zest. Give it a good stir.
5) Now distribute your mixture into the cupcake/muffin cases in the tin. I generally leave a ‘gap’ at the top of the case as these babies rise. I then trim them to make them even. Yes it’s true; my cakes are not perfect.
6) Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. When they are ‘done’ they should be springy to touch. I do the classic ‘toothpick check’. If you insert it into the centre and it comes out clean congratulations your cupcakes are done!
7) Now allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you ice them. If you can leave them in the tin to cool down that’s good. But if you can’t tranfer them to a wire cooling rack. Don’t apply the icing whilst they are still warm. It just doesn’t work.
8) Once the cupcakes are cool give them a quick trim to even them out. This really is key to getting uniform-ish iced cupcakes (sorry not sorry).

To make the buttercream:
You can use the mixer for this or do it by hand.

1) sift the icing sugar into a LARGE bowl. Trust me the BIGGER the better. Size matters.
2) Add the butter. Now beat the ingredients together.
3) Once you have what looks like a creamy mixture (it maybe a bit rough or stiff don’t worry it’s normal) add the lemon flavouring. Stir in.
4) If the mixture is too stiff or isn’t coming together like icing add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat in. Repeat if needed. Just do it in stages as too much milk may make the mixture runny.
5) Once you are happy with the texture you can add dye if you wish to. I use gel again it helps with the texture. I find the liquid dyes make things runny and the colour isn’t as strong either (I use ClassicKool-Link here).
6) Put the icing in the bag and ice away. Get creative if you wish. Add sprinkles, glitter whatever you wish. We added themed toppers.
7) Your cupcakes are done. Don’t they look awesome? Like 80s awesome…cos everything in the 80s was awesome….

Enjoy!

Notes: You can make the cupcakes and freeze them up to a month in advance if it helps with your party prep.

You can buy ready made icing which does an amazing job too.

Easy Lemon Curd Cupcakes
Alliyah Dawud
March 29, 2019

If there is any flavour of cake that doesn’t last in my household it’s lemon. My youngest is obsessed with lemon cakes of any shape or form. We made two dozen of these to give out for Ramadan at they proved a bit hit. With Spring in the air (British Summer Time has began in England; and you know what that means…one Happy Alliyah!). I thought you would love to bake a batch and enjoy them in the slightly warmer sun reminding us that Summer is on it’s way…

Feel free to half the recipe if you wish to make 12.

Ingredients:
250 grams butter (I use stork or store own brand version) at room tempreture
250 castor sugar
4 medium eggs
220 grams self raising flour
1 level tbsp baking powder
Juice of 4 lemons
Zest three of them
4 tbsp lemon curd (level spoons)

For the icing:
250 grams stork or other similar butter at room tempreture
550 grams icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon curd
1 tbsp boiling water
Optional extras: lemon decorations

1) preheat your oven to 170 (fan assisted) or 180 (non fan assisted). If you are an avid baker I really do recommend buying a stand alone thermometer you can pop in the oven to ensure baking tempratrues are even. Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cases (this recipe makes muffin size cupcakes).
2) Beat together the castor sugar and butter. This is called ‘creaming’ as you are creating a creamy buttery sugar mix. This shouldn’t take too long as long as the butter is at room tempretarure. You can also do this in a food processor. Either way cream away.
3) Now add the eggs-one by one. My tip is to crack each egg one by one into a bowl. That way if you end up with egg shell going into the egg it’s easier to fish out. Beat the egg in. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled; this will be fixed when you add the flour.
4) Add the flour and baking powder and fold in.
5) Add the lemon juice and zest. Stir to combine.
6) Now add the lemon curd and gently whisk in. Don’t worry about combining it with the batter. If you can see the curd that’s absolutely fine.
7) Now spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 10/12 minutes (they’ll be a light golden colour). I usually use a cake testing skewer. Insert in the middle and if it comes out clear it’s all good. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack.
TIP: don’t attempt to ice warm cupcakes. The mess is epic.

To make the icing:
Place the icing sugar and butter in a bowl and gently beat. Place in an icing bag (with a nozzle attached). Or use as you see fit.

To make the drizzle (optional):

Place the lemon curd in a jug/mug and add the boiling water. Whisk with a folk to create a ‘drizzle’. You may need to add a bit more water to get a drizzling consistency. If you find it’s too runny add a little bit more curd. Balance it out. I like a slightly runnier drizzle. You may prefer a more thicker one; hence why this part of the recipe is about testing until you find what you are happy with.

8) Once the cupcakes have cooled down ice them. Add the drizzle (it using) and decorations (ditto).

9) Enjoy.

These cupcakes keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Hot weather won’t help though. So if you wish to keep them in the summer months don’t ice them until you are ready to ravish them.