Limoncello Cupcakes

I have just learned that it is cupcake week!  I got so excited by that news, that considering I posted my Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcake recipe earlier this week, I just had to also post my Limoncello Cupcake recipe.  So here it is – be warned – they are Deeeeeeeeelicious!

Limoncello Cupcakes

Makes18

 For the Lemon Cupcake:

• 190g of eggs (approx 3)
• 190g of stork
• 190g self-raising flour
• 190g caster sugar
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• 3 x lemon zest

 For the Lemon Buttercream:

• 250g butter, softened
• 600g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice

 For the Limoncello Drizzle:

• 3 tbsp Limoncello
• 2 tbsp Icing Sugar

Method:

 To make the cupcakes:

1. Into a Kenwood chef mixer bowl, place the ingredients in this order: sugar, flour, eggs, stork.  Mix for 1 minutes.
2. Add the Baking Powder, the lemon zest and the vanilla essence, and mix for another 30 seconds.
3. Place paper-cups into your cup cake tray, and distribute the mixture evenly into the paper-cups.
4. Bake at 170C Fan oven, or 190C non-fan for 20 minutes.
5. Place on a wire rack to cool.

For the Limoncello Drizzle:

6. Mix the Limoncello with the Icing Sugar, until you have a nice syrupy mixture which is not thick.  You can also do this with Lemon Juice, if you do not have Limoncello – but it is nice to have the alcohol kick at the end, and it seems to help leave the taste of lemons linger in your mouth for longer – which is always nice!  I have said a couple of tablespoons each to make the Drizzle, but obviously you can be as generous as you like with the limoncello.
7. While the cupcakes are still hot, pierce them with a skewer, and gently pour over the Drizzle using a spoon.
8. Leave the Cupcakes to cool.

To make the Lemon Buttercream Icing:

9. In a large bowl (it is easier in a kenwood chef if you have one) cream the butter until soft and white.
10. Blend in the sugar, a quarter at a time, beating well after each addition.
11. Beat in the lemon juice and continue mixing until light and fluffy.
12. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

To assemble:

13. Using a palette knife, flat top the cupcakes by filling the cupcake high with buttercream, and scraping it off (more detailed description of how to do this can be found here).
14. Fill a piping bag with the remainder buttercream, and using a Big Soft Swirl Nozzle, pipe the buttercream on top.
15. To finish, it is nice to add a little bit of decoration, this can either be shapes you have cut out yourself from Fondant Icing (like I have done), or sprinkle with your favourite shop bought cake decorations.  For more ideas visit my previous blog on decoration ideas.

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