Lemon cupcakes are on the menu

By Metro Creative

Cupcakes are handheld treats that can make any celebration even more spectacular. If guests expect the standard flavors of chocolate, vanilla or even red velvet, change things up with a sunny surprise: lemon!

Enjoy this recipe for “Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes” from “Jane’s Patisserie” (Sourcebooks) by Jane Dunn. Anything with sweet drizzle is a hit, and these cupcakes deliver plenty of lemony flavor in every bite.

Note: Imperial measurements were approximated from the metric and may not be exact. Using a food scale set to grams and weighing ingredients will produce the most authentic version of this recipe.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

Makes 12

Cupcakes:

150 grams (1/2 cup) butter or baking spread

150 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar

3 eggs

150 grams (1 cup) self-raising flour

Zest of 1 lemon

Drizzle:

Juice of 2 lemons

75 grams (5½ tablespoons) caster sugar

Lemon Buttercream:

150 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

300 grams (2¼ cups) icing sugar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sprinkles

Lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and get 12 cupcake cases (liners) ready. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, self-raising flour and lemon zest and mix until combined. Spoon the mix evenly into the cupcake cases (liners) and bake for 18 to 22 minutes until they are baked through and springy to the touch.

Mix together the lemon juice and sugar for the drizzle in a bowl. Once the cupcakes are out of the oven, carefully spoon the drizzle over the cupcakes, then leave them to cool fully on a wire rack while you make the buttercream.

Beat the butter until smooth; this can take a couple of minutes. Add the icing sugar in two batches, beating well after each addition, then add the lemon juice and beat again.

Pipe or spread the buttercream onto your cupcakes, then sprinkle each one with some sprinkles and lemon zest.