I have just moved into a new flat…

My bedroom looks like a battlefield and I will have to step over the boxes to go to bed tonight. I am very happy as I have now a big kitchen with a proper oven, a conservatory and a garden. After 6 years in London it’s time for me to walk barefoot in my garden, why? Because even us in London a few days a year, we can.

I can’t wait to organize barbecue and take beautiful pictures with that amazing natural light !

I made some cup cake for my friend’s baby shower last week, made them again today for a little break between unpacking and cleaning. Let’s call it comfort food and don’t feel guilty. After all, we need sugar once in a while.

 

 

Make 12

Prep 30 min – Cook 22min – Can be frozen un-iced

– 225g Flour

– 175g Golden caster sugar

– Zest of 2 lemons

– 1 Tbsp poppy seeds, toasted in a pan

– 3 Eggs

– 100g Natural Yogurt

– 175g Butter, melted and cooled

 

For the icing :

– 225g Butter, softened

– 400g Icing sugar, sifted

– Juice of one lemon

– Icing flowers or yellow sprinkles to decorate

 

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 160C/180C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin.

Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt, then tip this into the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk until lump-free, then divide between the cases. Bake for 20-22 min until a skewer poked in comes out clean – the cakes will be quite pale on top still. Cool for 5 min in the tin, then carefully lift onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Prepare your icing, beat the softened butter until really soft in a large bowl, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and lemon juice. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.

Ice one cake at a time, holding the piping bag almost upright with the nozzle about 1cm from the surface of the cake. Pipe one spiral of icing around the edge, then pause to break the flow before moving the nozzle towards the centre slightly and piping a second, smaller spiral that continues until there are no gaps in the centre. Slightly ‘dot’ the nozzle into the icing as you stop squeezing to finish neatly. Repeat to cover all the cakes, then top with sugar decorations or scatter with sprinkles or more simply, some lemon zests or very thin slice of lemon.