Fluffy Lemon Fairy Cakes Recipes

FLUFFY LEMON FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• preheat oven to 170C/Fan 150C/Gas 5
• Cream / beat butter or marg with caster sugar until its blended and creamy, i use muscle and wooden spoon, you can use an electric whisk.
• Beat in the eggs 1 at time, try room temp eggs to stop curdling but dont worry too much if does curdle. Beat in one at time, vanilla, lemon zest and juice, milk and baking powder.
• Gradually add the sefted self raising flour, or sprinkle from height as i do to get air into it. Beat the mixture until its smooth, creamy but firmish. Something like "Angel Delight"
• Fill 12 cupcake cases.. i put the case into a fairy cake tin to keep the caked in position as they are rising. Each case will require a generous dessert spoon full until just below the cake case. Cook in middle of oven for around 15 min.
• You will know the cakes are ready when they are golden and spring back after a light press.
• Allow cakes to cool on a rack for around 10 - 15 min.. you can start making icing.
• For the icing, first mix in the butter into the icing sugar, be patient it will seem like too little butter but keep working it. Then add the water and vanilla essence, work the mixture until a smooth, firm but workable paste. You may need to add more water / icing sugar as you go.
• Take a generous amount on a wide knife put on cake and rotate cake around until you have an even coated amount of icing sugar.
• Allow to set for 5 / 10 min and enjoy!!

THE PERFECT FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• The basic formula of fairy cake is straightforward - roughly equal amounts of butter, sugar and flour, plus egg, and sometimes milk or water, to loosen the mixture. But there are significant variations between cookbooks.
• INGREDIENTS DECODED:
• Baking powder + self-raising flour gives the cakes a few extra millimetres of height & also a lighter texture.
• Eggs get the mixture to the desired 'dropping consistency' before baking (it will drop slowly off the spoon, rather than running off easily, or sticking completely). Use 2 eggs if you prefer a rich, denser cake.
• If you wish a more fluffy sponge, add extra milk.
• If you like crunchy cakes, add ground almonds to mixture.
• DIRECTIONS:
• Line a fairy cake or muffin tin with cases, and heat the oven to 180C/356F/Gas mark 4.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (turn the food mixer up to full power for about 5 minutes) – if you do this by hand you'll need a very strong arm. A nice light sponge needs as much air in it as possible. I have also included a photo of what properly creamed butter and sugar should look like.
• While continuing to mix, drizzle the egg in gradually, adding a tablespoon of flour if the mixture looks like it's about to curdle.
• Combine the flour, almonds (optional) and baking powder, then gently fold into the mixture. Add just enough milk to bring the batter to a dropping consistency.
• Divide the mixture between the cases: if you prefer flat-topped cakes, then just cover the bottom of the cases, if not, you can half-fill them.
• Bake for 20 minutes, and then turn out on to a rack to cool.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough boiling water to make a thick paste, then smooth over the cooled cakes, and add decorations before it sets. Eat quickly – fairy cakes don't keep!

MARY BERRY'S LEMON CUPCAKES WITH LEMON ICING

Steps:

• Line the muffin tin with the paper cases. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until evenly combined and smooth.
• Make the icing: put the butter and half of the icing sugar into a bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until evenly combined and smooth. Add the lemon juice and the remaining icing sugar, and beat again until light and fluffy.
• Spread the icing over the cold cup cakes, and decorate with silver balls or glitter.

LEMON FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 170°c Fan. Line two trays (12 holes each) with fairy paper cups. Set aside. In a stand mixer, beat sugar & margarine or butter until light & fluffy. Scrape down the sides a few times.
• Break one egg at a time into a little bowl, add the egg to the sugar mix, beating well after each addition.
• Fold in the flour that has been sifted with bicarbonate of soda, mix in the lemon juice & lemon zest. Then fold in the soured cream a tablespoon at a time, gently mix until smooth. U might not need all the sour cream. Mixture should slowly drop off the back of the spoon.
• I use a small ice cream scoop to fill the cake cases, do not overfill, should be about 2/3s full.
• Tap tray gently on counter a couple of times- this helps to expel excess air & helps to level the cakes.
• Bake on the oven- shelf just above centre.
• Bake one tray at a time, unless your oven is big enough to take two trays side by side.
• Bake for 18-20mins, check after 18mins using the skewer test. When baked, cool in tin 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack & cool completely.
• Ice to your preference.
• Will keep for 2-3days I an airtight container.