Lemon & Poppyseed Basil Cupcakes
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes 10-12 cupcakes
- 170g/6ozs. cake flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 100g3/5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 20g/0.7oz poppyseeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 4 basil leaves, very finely chopped
- 3/4 cup/130g/4ozs white chocolate chips
- 60ml/2flozs lemon juice
- 60ml/2flozs vegetable oil
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. soda water
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 125g/4ozs. cream cheese, softened
- 75g/2.6ozs. browned butter, solidified but not refrigerated
- 110g/3.8ozs. icing or powdered sugar, sifted
To decorate
- 60g/2ozs. lemon curd
- 1 slice lemon, cut into 10 pieces
- Basil leaves
Cake flour is a softer type of flour where a portion of the flour is replaced with cornflour or cornstarch. Replace 3 tablespoons/24g of plain all purpose flour with cornflour/fine cornstarch
Step 1 - Line a baking tray with 10-12 liners (I find that it depends on how big and deep the liners are) and preheat oven to 160C/320F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, poppy seeds, salt, lemon zest, basil leaves and white chocolate in a bowl.
Step 2 - In a jug whisk the lemon juice, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla. Add the soda water. Then make a well in the dry ingredients and mix the wet mixture in in 2-3 lots making sure that there are no lumps. Place into a jug and pour into the liners around 3/4 full. Bake for 22 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed. Cool completely.
Step 3 - Place the cream cheese and butter in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the icing sugar (make sure there are no lumps) and blend until smooth. Place in a piping bag with a #125 piping tip and pipe the frosting over the cupcake. Dot the lemon curd over the icing (I put it in a small piping bag and snipped off a tiny corner and piped three dots on each cupcake). Decorate with tiny wedges of lemon and basil leaves.