Description
These Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes are a perfect afternoon treat. Light & fluffy with a zesty lemon flavour that doesn’t overwhelm but enhances every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 125g plain/all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 125g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (see note 1)
- 2 tbsp milk
For the lemon drizzle:
- 60g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
For the buttercream: (see note 2)
- 140g butter, softened at room temperature (see note 1)
- 280g icing sugar, sifted (see note 3)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To decorate: (optional)
- Lemon zest
- Small lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C/350F
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until fully mixed.
- Crack the eggs into the flour mix and add the butter. Beat using a food mixer or hand blender for around 1 minute.
- Add the milk and beat for a further 30-40 seconds until just combined.
- Line a 12 hole cupcake tray with paper cases and spoon the mixture evenly between them. An ice cream scoop gives a good single measure.
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 20-22 minutes. When they are done you should be able to place a skewer or toothpick into the middle of the cupcake and it comes out clean when removed. The surface should be springy and bounce back after being lightly pressed. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- While the cupcakes are baking make the lemon drizzle by whisking together the lemon juice and sugar in a bowl with a fork.
- While the cakes are still warm use a skewer to poke several holes in the top of each. Then use a pastry brush to brush the lemon drizzle over each, allowing the juice to seep into the holes and add flavour to each cake.
- Next, make the buttercream. Start by beating the butter for 5 minutes until it turns pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time, incorporating each addition before adding more.
- Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, use a piping bag to decorate the cupcakes with buttercream.
Notes
- It is very important to make sure that the butter is at the right temperature. Room temperature means you should be able to stick your finger into it easily. However, it should hold its shape a little and not have any oily patches. For a full block of butter this usually takes around 2 hours at room temperature. If you need to warm the butter faster then place it in a bowl over warm to hot water and keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t liquify.
- This is a generous amount of buttercream so you can either use a lot of frosting or freeze any that is leftover for up to 3 months.
- Cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months – either decorated or not. If freezing decorated cupcakes then place them in the freezer for a few hours (somewhere they won’t be squashed) until hard. Wrap in clingfilm and place back into the freezer in a sealed container
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 360
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: cupcakes, lemon, lemon drizzle, snack, dessert, cake, sweet, easy