Easter Cupcakes

In the spirit of the season, I made some lemon cupcakes to bring over to Ian's mum for Easter lunch yesterday. I told you I was a fan of lemons!

Because I wasn't feeling terribly creative (i.e. lazy) I chucked a few Cadburys' Mini Eggs and tiny fluffy chicks on top. Cute, right?!

Lemon Cupcakes

For the cupcakes

125g unsalted butter, softened

165g caster sugar

zest of one large lemon

2 medium eggs

225g self raising flour

125ml milk

Preheat oven to 180°C

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin liners

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Don't skimp on this part! Add the eggs one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and stir through.

Gently fold in the flour until it's combined and then add the milk, stirring well.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Lemon Sugar Syrup

1-2 tbsp caster sugar

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

In a small saucepan combine the sugar and lemon juice over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Brush each cake liberally with the sugar syrup. This keeps the cupcakes lovely and moist!

Lemon Buttercream Icing

Adapted from: Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

110g unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

500g icing sugar, sifted

2-3 tbsp room temperature milk

Begin by beating the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and half the icing sugar until smooth. (I always start with a wooden spoon - being very clumsy, I don't want a layer of icing sugar all over me and my kitchen!) Gradually add the rest of the icing sugar and beat slowly, moving on to a hand held mixer for a smooth, light icing.

I made the cupcakes on Saturday evening, but because we wouldn't be eating them until Sunday I wanted the buttercream to stay soft (it has a tendency to harden) so I added about 2 tbsp of milk to the mixture.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, decorate them any which way you please and enjoy!

*Photo taken on Ian's iphone.