Loulabel's Zesty Cupcakes

Lemon & Orange Cupcakes

Sunday is the perfect day to dabble in a little baking. Especially if you have friends and family over, or have lunches the week ahead.

The two-week school holiday break is finishing tomorrow in New Zealand and I wanted to try something new for Romeo and Persia for school and kindy lunches. If I only made blueberry-banana-chocolate muffins forever they would probably be happy but I like to attempt new recipes.

I love Lemon Sour Cream Cake, and I love lemon and orange for baking in general. This recipe is the perfect excuse to combine both flavours. It is super easy (and as always I adjusted things to my liking yet again as I went along - so feel free to play around with my recipe below).

Lemon & Orange Cupcakes

230grams softened butter
1 c sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 c milk
3 and 1/4 c flour
2 tspn baking powder
pinch salt
2 lemons and 2 oranges - zest and juice

Turn oven on to 180C.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add 3/4 of the zest and half the juice and mix well. Slowly add the eggs and milk. Once mixed, add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently to combine.

Spoon into cupcakes papers (I put mine inside muffin tins to support the sides), or into muffins tins, to about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20 mins or until light golden and springy to the touch. If unsure, use a skewer to test whether cooked.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly before turning out on to a cooling rack.

Once cooled ice them.

White Chocolate Lemon & Orange Icing

Melt 1 cup of white chocolate. Slowly mix about half a cup of icing sugar with the remaining lemon and orange zest and enough of the juice to make a slightly runny mixture. Add some yellow colour and then mix with the melted chocolate. Spoon over the cooled cupcakes, let set, and serve.

I additionally decorated the iced cupcakes with icing pens and Romeo and Persia had fun helping (and eating as they were iced). Delicious (and extremely well-received!).

I hope you enjoy making and sharing these as much as we have. What recipes do you enjoy baking most? Do you have any other uses for lemon and orange in baking. I'd love to hear your comments and receive your favourite recipes!