With the clocks going forward this weekend, I thought it fitting to look forward to some spring sunshine with the most yummy lemon cupcakes to fit!
They were insanely soft and squidgy, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
I found the recipe online, but tweaked it to fit my ingredients and what I fancied!
You can’t really taste the ground almond, so don’t worry if you are not a fan. They just provide a great texture! The addition of oil in the recipe is also brilliant, as it makes the muffins last a little bit longer.
If, for some weird reason, you haven’t eaten them all by the time they start to go a bit stale, you can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds until they go soft again. As good as new!
You don’t have to use lemon! The recipe would be really good with any flavourings. For example, orange and milk chocolate would be a good alternative!
Ingredients
For the muffins:
275g plain flour
225g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 2 lemons
20g white chocolate (grated) plus white chocolate chips
150ml semi-skimmed milk
100g unsalted butter (melted)
50ml sunflower or vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 vanilla extract
2 tbsp lemon juice
For the glaze:
4 tbsp lemon juice
50g golden caster sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6 and line a 12-hole tray with large cupcake or muffin cases.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl – sifted flour, caster sugar, almond, baking powder, lemon zest and white chocolate (or alternative flavours)
3. Beat the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter, milk and lemon juice (if using) together in a jug or bowl and pour over the previously combined dry ingredients.
4. Mix together until fully combined (be careful not the over-work the mixture)
5. Spoon equal quantities of the mixture into each of the 12 cake cases.
6. *Leave some batter in the bowl to eat while cakes are cooking* (optional, but in my opinion, vital)
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Mix the golden caster sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and brush onto the tops of the cakes when they are warm and fresh out of the oven.
This is the best part.
The lemon juice absorbs into the sponge and the sugar crystallises to provide a sweet, almost glittery finish.
Wait for the muffins to cool a little and then enjoy!!
Kathryn 🙂
lifeofkathryn.com 