EASTER BAKING | CARROT & LEMON CUPCAKES

Happy Easter Weekend everybody! I hope you're all ready for the long weekend and it's finally the time where we can all stuff our faces with chocolate and not feel guilty! I'm a big baking fanatic and would bake every weekend if I could, it's just the issue of having to eat it all after! Since its easter and my parents have friends visiting I decided to bake some cupcakes and give them a little easter theme, especially since my favourite part of baking is the decorating!

I opted for lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese icing and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing as well. The lemon ones are light and fluffy with a refreshing icing, whilst the carrot ones a little richer and a smooth cream cheese frosting. After trying both of these I honestly couldn't pick a favourite as they are both yummy in two different ways! 

When looking for recipes for both of them I wanted ones that were quite simple, since some recipes can take hours to make and end up costing a fortune! I found both of mine on the BBC which is perfect as they give you the measurements in grams rather than cups - I find using cups so complicated! The lemon cupcakes recipe is available on BBC Good Food and the carrot cupcakes on BBC Food, all of the instructions are easy to follow I didn't have any mishaps, so here are the ingredients and instructions...

Lemon Cupcakes 

• 140g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 large eggs
• 140g self-raising flour

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. 
2. Line a 12-hole bun tin with fairy cake cases. 
3. Beat the butter and sugar in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until it is really soft, then add the lemon zest. slowly stir in the eggs, then fold in the flour until it is all combined. 
4. Use two teaspoons to divide the mixture between the cake cases. 
5. Bake for 18-20 mins until the cakes are golden and springy when you touch them.
6. Cool the cakes on a wire rack.

I baked mine for about 16 mins and they were perfectly golden and spongey. For the icing on these I didn't use the one from the recipe as I much prefer cream cheese icing, so I used the recipe from the carrot cupcakes and added the remaining lemon zest and juice. I decorated them, to fit with an easter theme, with these adorable little chicks I found the store Tiger for something like £3 - obviously they aren't edible but are so cute!

Carrot Cupcakes

• 275g caster sugar
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 4 eggs
• 300g grated carrot
• up to 300g nuts or dried fruit (optional)
• 225g wholemeal flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp mixed spice
• 1tbsp cocoa powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line the pockets of a muffin tray with muffin cases.
2. Beat the sugar, oil and eggs in mixing bowl until smooth, then stir in the grated carrot and, if you like, up to 150g/5½oz chopped nuts, dried fruit, or a mixture of both.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa so that they're evenly mixed, then tip this into the carrot mixture and stir well.
4. Fill the muffin papers to about two-thirds full, then bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer poked in comes out almost clean.
5. For the frosting, make sure the butter is soft, then, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat it with the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth and light. Stir in the icing sugar with a spoon until it begins to come together, then whisk again briefly until light and smooth. Pipe or spoon blobs of the frosting on each cold cupcake. 

Although the recipe stated that it makes 12 I actually ended up with 16 as there was some left over mixture, I also left out the nuts/fruit and mixed spice as I didn't have either of these but they still taste amazing!

I iced both sets of cupcakes using the Wilton 2D nozzle and its the perfect thing to give you that shop bought cake look that i've always craved. After icing I added these adorable chocolate carrots from ASDA and they really are perfect for easter!

I hope you've enjoyed my first baking post as much as I'm enjoying eating all of these, please let me know if you'd like more baking posts!

xo

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