A zest for life

Did you know lemons are high in vitamin C and help prevent scurvy? Or that during the European Renaissance, fashionable ladies used lemon juice as a way to redden their lips? I'm not much of a fan of the taste of lemons, so I was unsure of what to write in this post. To keep things interesting, I found some lemon facts. So, to continue, did you know lemon juice is about 5% citric acid and lemons have a pH of 2 to 3. Also, lemonade may have originated from medieval Egypt. Interesting.

The reason I'm writing about lemons is I was recently asked by a friend to make some cupcakes. As always, I made my chocolate cupcakes but wanted to make a second flavour, something a bit lighter for those who don't share my sweet tooth. Lemon it was. To my surprise, the cupcakes were delicious. The use of the lemon zest in the icing instead of the juice gave it an amazing freshness, a zing, something I wasn't expecting. So, here it is, my lemon cupcakes for even the lemon haters amongst us.

Lemon cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

240g plain flour

280g caster sugar

3 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

80g butter, at room temperature

240 ml milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter. Mix using an electric beater until you get a sandy consistency. On a low speed, beat in half the milk until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining milk with the eggs and vanilla. Add to batter mix on a medium speed until smooth. Don't over beat, but make sure it is smooth and not lumpy.

Pour the mixture into individual cupcake holders about 2/3's the way. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When ready, remove from oven and allow to completely cool before icing.

Lemon Icing

250g icing sugar

80g butter, at room temperature

25ml milk

a lemon

Beat the icing sugar and butter together. Slowly add the milk and beat until light and fluffy. Taste the icing at this point, if you want it to be a bit creamier, add a dash more milk and keep beating. Add the zest of half a lemon (or the zest of a full lemon if you want a stronger flavour). Beat to combine. Spoon icing into a piping bag and pipe onto your cupcakes. ENJOY!