Lemon Cupcakes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Makes one batch
These cakes are so light and fresh – perfect for a summer picnic!
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS (FOR THE CAKE):
- 300 g self raising flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 9 tbsp sunflower oil
- 350 ml water
- 270 g caster sugar
- 2 -3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 lemons, juice and rind, (this quantity is sufficient for both the cake and icing)
- INGREDIENTS (FOR THE ICING):
- 350 g icing sugar
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 g vegan margarine
- water
Instructions
- METHOD (FOR THE CAKE):
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix them together.
- Add the sugar, water, oil and vanilla.
- Squeeze the lemons and grate some rind from the peel. Set some rind aside for decoration later.
- Add both the juice and the rest of the rind to the bowl and mix well.
- Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on your oven. (Give them a poke to check that they are done.)
- METHOD (FOR THE ICING):
- You can make traditional icing from icing sugar, a little water, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon rind, but a better option for these cakes is to make butter icing:
- Combine the margarine with 200 g icing sugar and a little warm
- water.
- Mix well and keep adding icing sugar until it is very thick – a large amount of icing
- sugar is required!
- Squeeze the lemon and grate some rind from the peel.
- Add the lemon juice, rind and vanilla extract along with a little more icing sugar
- (to compensate for the extra liquid). It should be as thick as possible so that it will
- set.
- Spread the butter icing onto the cakes or use a pipe to squeeze it on.
- Sprinkle a little rind over the cakes for decoration.