Lemon and Raspberry Cupcakes

It was my 1 year' anniversary at my workplace and I made some cupcakes to celebrate this. I made some banoffee cupcakes and raspberry and lemon cupcakes from my new book from Peggy Porschen. I have to say I struggled to get 12 cupcakes from the amount she described so I increased the measurements slightly. I also found the icing ever so slightly sweet, so I added less icing sugar. BUT even with the sweet frosting it was more than delicious.

Lemon and Raspberry Cupcakes

 For the decoration

12 raspberries

For the frosting
120 g full-fat cream cheese
100 g unsalted butter, softened
220 g icing sugar, shifted
finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

For the sponge

120 g unsalted butter

120 g caster sugar

pinch of salt

finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

2 large eggs

120 g self-raising flour

2-3 raspberries per cupcake so 24-36 in total

For the sugar syrup

70 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

70 g caster sugar

To make the frosting

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl  and beat until smooth and creamy. Place the butter and icing sugar and lemon zest in a separate bowl. Cream together until very pale and fluffy.

Add the cream cheese, a little at the time, to the butter mixture and mix at medium-high speed until the frosting is combined. Add the banana purée and chill until set.

To make the cupcakes

Place the butter, salt and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and add slowly to 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 flour. This will rebind the butter.

Once all the egg has been incorporated into the butter mixture, shift in the remaining flour and stir until the batter is just combined. This will ensure the sponges stay light and fluffy. 

 Using a piping bag or a tablespoon, carefully place the batter into the cupcake cases until two-thirds full only. Drop 2 or 3 raspberries into each cupcake. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the inserted wooden skewer comes out clean.

To make the sugar syrup

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the sugar syrup for soaking. Place the lemon juice and sugar into the saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the sugar dissolved then set aside to cool down slightly. 

Once the cupcakes are baked, let them rest for about 10 minutes outside the oven. 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. Leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Fill the chilled frosting in a plastic piping bag fitted with a large pain round nozzle and pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.

To finish, place a raspberry on top of the frosting for each cupcake.