Fluffy and delicate, these diet-ditching cupcakes combine zesty lemon and tangy raspberries for a beautifully balanced bite
“This is a very simple and light cupcake that tastes refreshing on a summer’s day. The combination of lemon and raspberry creates a perfect balance and cuts through the sweet cream cheese frosting.”
Ingredients
For the frosting:
• 200g full-fat cream cheese
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 500g icing sugar, sifted
• 2 unwaxed lemons, finely zested
For the sponge:
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 lemons, finely zested
• 4 medium eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• punnet raspberries, plus extra for the decoration
For the sugar syrup:
• 150ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 150g caster sugar
Equipment:
• Basic baking kit
• 2 12-hole muffin trays
• 24 large brown cupcake cases
• plastic piping bags
• large round piping nozzle
• Making a paper piping bag
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 175°C. Prepare the muffin trays by placing the cupcake cases inside the holes.
To make the frosting:
1 Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Place the butter, icing sugar and lemon zest in a separate bowl and cream together until very pale and fluffy.
2 Add the cream cheese, a little at a time, to the butter mixture and mix at medium-high speed until the frosting is combined. Chill until set.
To make the cupcakes:
1 Place the butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.
2 Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly pour into the butter mixture while whisking quickly. If the mixture starts to separate or curdle, stop adding the egg and beat in 2–3 tablespoons of the flour. This will rebind the batter.
3 Once all the egg has been incorporated into the butter mixture, sift in the flour and stir until the batter is just combined. This ensures the sponges stay light and fluffy.
4 Using a piping bag or tablespoon, place the batter into the cupcake cases until two-thirds full. Drop 2 or 3 raspberries into each cupcake.
5 Bake for 12–15 minutes, depending on your oven. The cupcakes are cooked when the tops are golden brown and spring back to the touch. If in doubt, insert a clean knife or wooden skewer into the centre of each sponge; it should come out clean.
To make the sugar syrup:
1 While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the sugar syrup for soaking. Place the lemon juice and caster sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
2 Simmer until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside to cool down slightly.
3 Once the cupcakes are baked, let them rest for about 10 minutes outside of the oven.
4 Using a pastry brush, soak the tops of the cupcakes with sugar syrup while they are still warm; this allows the syrup to be absorbed faster.
5 Once warm, remove the cupcakes from the trays and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.
To decorate:
1 Prepare a plastic piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Fill with the chilled frosting.
2 Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake. To finish, place a raspberry on the top of the frosting for each cupcake.
Recipe courtesy of Peggy Porschen, extracted from Boutique Baking. Photography by Georgia Glynn Smith © Quadrille
