Lemon cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes, you will need: • 125g butter

• 125g caster sugar

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon • 2 large eggs, whisked

• 150g plain flour

• ¾ of a teaspoon baking powder For the lemon curd, you will need: • 75g butter

• 150g caster sugar

• Finely grated zest and juice of 3 lemons • 2 eggs, well beaten

• 1 egg yolk For the lemon butter icing, you will need: • 75g butter, softened

• 175g icing sugar

• 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 First, preheat the oven to 160°C, 325°F, Gas 3. Put paper cases into a 12-hole cupcake tray or bun tray. 2 If you are making the cupcakes in a bowl: cream the butter, then add the caster sugar and half of the finely grated lemon zest (reserve the remaining half to use in the icing later) and beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the whisked eggs very gradually, still beating all the time, then stir in the sifted plain flour and the baking powder until everything is combined. 3 If you are making the cupcakes with a food processor: put the butter, the caster sugar, half the finely grated lemon zest, the whisked eggs, the sifted flour and baking powder into the food processor, and blend briefly until the mixture comes together. 4 Put the cupcake mixture into the paper cases in the prepared bun tray, and bake them in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they are a golden colour. When they are cooked, they will have a slight spring when gently pressed in the centre. Remove the cupcakes from the bun tray and leave them to cool on a wire rack. 5 Next, make the lemon curd. Put a saucepan on a very low heat, and add the softened butter, the caster sugar, the finely grated lemon zest and the lemon juice. Allow the butter to melt and combine with the sugar, the lemon zest and juice. Stir in the well-beaten eggs and the egg yolk. Stir carefully over a low heat until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon. If the lemon curd boils it might scramble, so be careful about keeping the heat low and cooking it slowly. Once the lemon curd is made, take it off the heat and pour into a bowl or a clean jar and allow it to cool. 6 To make the lemon butter icing, cream the butter well in a bowl until it is very soft. Add the sifted icing sugar gradually, and beat it into the butter, along with the remaining lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing to a spreadable consistency. 7 When the cupcakes are cool, use a small knife to cut out a cherry-sized piece from the centre of each of the buns. Put them aside to eat later! Now spoon some lemon curd into the holes. 8 Pipe or spread a generous heaped layer of lemon butter icing over the top of each cupcake, and decorate with an extra drizzle of lemon curd.