Recipe from Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can published by Ebury Press, £14.99. Photo by Rosie Barnett.
Ingredients: makes 24 cupcakes
375g unsalted butter (softened)
375g white caster sugar
6 free range large eggs
375g self-raising flour
7.5 tablespoons of full fat milk
zest from two large un-waxed lemons
For the icing
2 boxes of royal icing sugar
juice of 2 lemons
Method
- Chop the butter into large chunks and place in a bowl of warm (not hot) water to soften gently.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together (in mixer or by hand or with large balloon whisk) the softened butter and sugar.
- Whisk until creamy and fluffy.
- In a jug gently beat together the eggs.
- Add the eggs a little at a time to the butter and sugar mix – whisking in well with same whisk.
- Beat well until creamy and combined before adding more egg.
- Sift the flour onto the scales and then again as you add to the mix.
- Sift the flour into the mix a bit at a time and gently fold in with a metal spoon.
- Fold in the lemon zest with the last bit of flour.
- Once all the flour is completely combined gently fold in the milk a little at a time.
- Line a cupcake tray with cake cases and spoon in the cake mixture. Make sure each paper case is only about half full then gently smooth the tops.
- Bake in a preheated oven 180 (fan) or 200 (normal) for approx 15 mins or until springy to touch.
Lemon soak
- Sieve the juice of 2 lemons into a jug
- Whisk in 3 tablespoons of icing sugar
- As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, and they are still in their tins, prick the tops with a cocktail stick then spoon the lemon soak carefully over each of the cakes.
- Leave the cakes to cool completely in their tins before decorating.
Lemon royal icing
- 2 boxes of royal icing sugar mixed with lemon juice instead of water, beat in a mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Take a few tablespoons of the icing and keep on one side in an airtight container to use for piping and decorating later.
- Add a little more lemon juice to the remaining icing so it is smooth enough to spread.
- Carefully spoon the icing onto each cupcake and use a palette knife to spread to the edges and smooth.
- The icing must be completely dry before the decorations are added.
Butterfly decorations
1 packet of pale lilac Sugar Florist Paste
1 packet of white Sugar Florist Paste
Butterfly cutter
Roll a small ball of the Sugar Florist paste on a worktop lightly dusted with icing sugar. Use the cutter to stamp out butterflies, leave them to dry over the edge of a food container to create the natural butterfly shape. Put the remaining stiff icing into a piping bag and use to attach the butterfly decorations.
This recipe and others can also be found on www.dreamscometrue.uk.com.
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