Tuesday 5 April 2011

Lemon Drizzle Cake and Cupcakes

Today, I made cakes! Lemon Drizzle cake and cupcakes, nomnom! So, seeing as I've just come back from Zumba, I am writing about my cakes instead of eating them which sucks but hey ho...


Yes, I know it seems like I always make Lemon Drizzle Cake, but this time I tried a new recipe. I've followed the recipe in the Great British Book of Baking a few times now and, although the cake is amazing, I'm still hugely unhappy with the baking time and how it mainly comes out burnt.
But, then came along 'Baked and Delicious', a baking magazine -which is very expensive- with free silicon bakeware and this week happened to have a Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe in it. So I rang my Nana and Grandfather, as I do every week and asked them if they'd like to try it.

The recipe was relatively easy and it was pretty much the same as the old recipe but I hoped that the silicon loaf tin would stop it burning or at least stop it burning so much. I was wrong, almost, it still took an hour to bake and it still had browned edges despite the fact I had covered it in tin foil half way through- see above photograph! I still stand by the fact that every tin should be lined with baking paper, maybe I should take my own advice next time!




I was also really disappointed with how small it was! I felt they weren't going to provide sufficient slices but apparently it was brilliant, I must just be greedy!

Next, I made cupcakes!


These tasted unbelievable. I got the recipe from the UKTV Good Food channel website and, as per, bunged everything in the mixer and let it go. This is what happened when I added the flour, mid conversation with mum and forgot the shield...


When the cupcakes came out, they had all kind of peaked and I figured that the buttercream recipe adjoining the cupcake one that I had made was not going to cover all 12 cakes.


I had followed the recipe down to the letter but it barely covered the bottom of the bowl so definitely suggest doubling it for super iced cakes! Also, don't add too much food colouring, I figured a small drop would get me pale pink icing but it was really really pink...

So, I decided to make butterfly cakes but then thought it might look quite quirky if I just put the lids back on. I actually thought these looked really cool!


Definitely going to adapt these to my Strawberry Yoghurt cupcakes, maybe in my next installment? And, I figured that I could eat these tomorrow and it wouldn't affect my Zumba hot body!


Lemon Drizzle Cake- Take 2!

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
225g self raising flour
2 tbsp milk
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
6 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp golden syrup

For decorating:
1 small lemon, finely sliced (I skipped this out)
50g granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
a little bit of cold water
50g icing sugar, sieved

Method:


-Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas4

-If using a silicon loaf pan, dust it with flour once greased

-Cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually and then sift in the flour. Fold until combined then add the milk, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice and continue to mix

-Spoon the mixture into the tin and level off

-Bake for around an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean

-Heat the remaining lemon juice and golden syrup in a pan. Once the cake is out of the oven, prick the cake and drizzle the syrup all over it

Enjoy!



Cupcakes

Ingredients:

150g butter, softened
150g sugar
3 eggs, beaten
150g self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk

For the frosting: I suggest you double up here where possible

75g butter, at room temp
150g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
a selection of food colouring- be creative!

To decorate:

crystallised flower petals, optional
sprinkles, optional
silver balls, optional
hundreds and thousands, optional
sweets, optional

Method:


-Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan oven/gas 4

-Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

-Gradually add the beaten egg, adding the flour to stop it from curdling. Add the vanilla and milk and combine

-Place some muffin cases into a muffin tin and divide the cake batter into them

-Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack

-In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth, then sift in the icing sugar. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy

-Once cool, decorate your cupcakes as you please!

Enjoy!
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