Sarahs Lemon Cupcakes Recipes

HOMEMADE LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, start the mixer on low speed, then slowly add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Once combined, stop the mixer. Do not overmix this batter.
• Spoon batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for about 18-22 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean when they're done. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. I usually let them cool completely in the muffin pan.
• Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. If topping with lemon zest, do so right before serving. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
• Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.

LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 30 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
• Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.
• To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.

SARAH'S LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4. Put baking cases into a 12 cake/muffin tray.
• Cream the butter and sugar
• Beat in the eggs and the lemon extract
• Add the flour, beat the mixture until lump free (I use an electric beater).
• Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the baking cases and bake for about 20/25 minutes (check with a skewer). Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.
• Add lemon juice to the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the icing is smooth but not too runny. Add food colouring.
• Spread icing on each cupcake (cakes should be cool), I put a dollop of icing in the centre of each cake, let it settle outwards naturally and push out lightly to edges of the cupcake with a knife. As the cupcake tops are quite moist, you’ll get crumbs in the icing if you spread roughly.
• Sprinkle lemon rind on to icing

SARAH'S PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Stand 1 lemon on its stem end on a cutting board; cut down center as if cutting in half, but stop about 1/2 inch above stem. Make a perpendicular cut, again stopping about 1/2 inch above stem, so lemon is quartered but still intact. Holding it over a bowl, spread its four quarters open and pack in as much salt as you can, allowing excess to fall into bowl. (You should be able to pack about 2 tablespoons in.) Place lemon, cut-side up, in a dry, sterile 1-quart glass jar (preferably with a neck narrower than jar) with a lid or a clamp closure. Repeat process with as many lemons as jar will hold. (You may have to add some the next day, when first set of lemons are softer.) Add cinnamon sticks, fennel, coriander, bay leaves, and enough lemon juice to cover. Cover with lid; let stand overnight.
• Push lemons down in jar with a clean spoon; if you have remaining lemons, add as many as you can now. If necessary, add more lemon juice to completely submerge lemons. Cover with lid, or clamp closed. Place in a dark spot (but do not refrigerate).
• For the next week, turn and shake jar once a day to redistribute salt. If lemons are no longer submerged, add more juice. Let stand 2 to 3 weeks more before using. Lemons can be refrigerated in jar 2 to 3 months.