Lemon & Ricotta cupcakes

Makes 12 Cupcakes

200g      Flour
150g      Castor Sugar
150g      Ricotta
120g      Butter
1           Egg
2           Lemons
1 1/2tsp Baking Powder
125g      Pure Icing Sugar
200g      Castor sugar, extra
200ml    Water

Tools you might need...

Muffin pan ; 12 cupcake wrappers; electric mixer or beaters; saucepan; peeler; sharp knife; zester; sifter; juicer.

Firstly some housekeeping...

preheat oven to 180deg. Using a peeler, peel 1 lemon carefully as to avoid the pith (white inner peel) keep the lemon juice for the glaze to be made later. Slice these strips finely and add to saucepan that contains the 200g Castor sugar dissolved in the 200ml water. Simmer for 20mins and then allow strips to cool in the syrup.

1. Melt butter and zest, then juice 1 Lemon.

2. Sift together baking powder and flour.
3. Using an electric mixer beat egg and sugar together for 2-3 mins, then add the melted butter, then ricotta and zest and finally juice, all while still beating the mixture.
4. Add spoonfuls of flour/baking powder at a time on low speed, then a quick burst to make mixture well combined.
5. 3/4 fill cupcake pans and bake for about 20mins. Should be light golden when done. Allow to cool on a rack.
6. Sift icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Drizzle reserved lemon juice into bowl while mixing on low speed. Icing should be very thick. Nest candied peel on top.

TIP- You can keep syrup for all sorts of things, it can be used as a syrup for citrus based cocktails or as a glaze over cakes or desserts.

This also makes a beautiful dessert, if you use well greased dariole moulds to bake mixture in place of cupcake wrappers, then serve drizzled with icing glaze and dollop of thick cream and garnished with candied zest.

Jacinta

xx