Lemon Curd Cupcakes

The other weekend was my mum’s birthday and I decided to make some lemon curd cupcakes, something fresh and sweet for spring! Needless to say they went down a storm.

I found the recipe on the BBC Good Food website, but made a few adaptations. It was really simple to make. I can vouch for that, as I was recovering from concussion at the time – which is another story in it’s self!!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 200g self raising flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg – I use delicious organic eggs from my parents neighbours, they’re that fresh you can hear them laying!
• 75ml sunflower oil
• 150ml milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2  lemon
• 1 tsp of lemon curd for each cupcake – approx. 60 ml. I used Gale’s lemon curd

For the coating:

• 4 tsp lemon curd
• 50g caster sugar
• 1/2 lemon

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 190C. Line a muffin tin with approx. 15 paper cases. I used cupcake cases, but you can make approx. 12 muffins.

2. Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the sugar.

3. Mix together the egg, sunflower oil, milk and vanilla extract in the same bowl.

4. Make a well in the flour and sugar mix and add some of the liquid mix in the centre of the well and stir together. Continue to stir in the wet mix to the dry mix to make the batter. Stir in the juice of half a lemon for some added zing!

5. Fill the cupcake cases half with batter and place 1 tsp of lemon curd on top, then top up the cupcake case with the remaining batter.

6. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until risen and firm. **Top tip for working out if the cakes are baked** – take a cocktail stick and pop it in the middle of the cake. If the stick is clean when you remove it the cakes are baked, if not, pop the tray back in for a few more minutes.

7. For the coating, microwave the lemon curd for 1 minute until melted and stir in the remaining lemon juice. Add the sugar into a shallow bowl. Brush or spoon on the melted lemon curd mixture to each muffin and then using a teaspoon scatter the sugar to the cupcake tops.

And voila! Best eaten cold or heated up and add some ice-cream. Enjoy!