Lemon drizzle muffins

Lemon drizzle muffins

These are a great treat for anyone who loves an afternoon cake with a refreshing background flavour. It’s a simple recipe for anyone to follow, and the sugar syrup isn’t as difficult as you think.

The two different toppings, add texture and different lemon aspects to the muffins.

You will need a muffin tray (not a cake tray) the muffin trays are much deeper.

Makes 4-5 big muffins.

Ingredients

For the muffins

4oz/ 100g unsalted butter (at room temperature) plus extra for greasing

4oz/ 100g self-raising flour

4oz/ 100g caster sugar

2 large free-range eggs

a very small pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tblsp lemon juice

For the lemon syrup

50g caster sugar

1 tblsp of lemon juice

½ tblsp butter

For the frosting

25g unsalted butter

100g confectioners sugar (icing sugar)

½ tblsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven 10 170-degrees/ 325 degrees F/ gas mark 4. To make the mixing process easier, the butter needs to be at room temperature, if it still hasn’t softened enough, squash with your hands.

In a mixing bowl cream together the sugar and butter with a fork, continue to do so until the colour of the mixture has become paler. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. (If you ever use fresh vanilla pods, keep vanilla pod remains and in a sealed container with caster sugar for future recipes). In a separate whisk the eggs until frothy and light. Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar whilst constantly whisking to avoid the mixture splitting, (looking like scrambled eggs). If the mixture does split simply add a spoonful of the flour and mix in. Once the eggs, butter and sugar are combined sift in the flour. Fold the flour into the mixture, quickly, but try not to work the mixture otherwise the gluten in the flour causes the muffins to be dense.

Grease the muffin trays tins (4-5).

Add the mixture to 4-5 tins, 1cm below the top of the tins. Using the handle of a dinner knife, scrape round the inside of each mixture tin, this allows the muffins the rise easily.

Bake for 20-25, slide a knife into a muffin (when it comes out clean they are ready). The muffins should still be slightly too soft when removed from the oven, as the residual heat continues to cook the muffin.

Gently ease the muffins away from the side of the tins, until they can be tipped out.

Place the muffins relatively close together, on a layer of greaseproof paper on chopping board.

Add the syrup ingredients to a heavy based saucepan, on a moderate to high heat and leave until it is bubbling and turning golden yellow in colour, and slightly golden brown at the edges, and allow to cool. The mixture should be syrup and beginning to be thick when scooped/ stirred with a spoon. Lightly run a spoon, or fork into the now thick mixture and lift above the pan to see if it drizzles slowly are quite rapidly. When it slowly drizzles, allow the first thicker syrup to fall over the pan then quickly whip you wrist back and fourth over the muffins, creating very fine spun sugar strains. ( see picture). Leave for a few minutes to harden. Cut the excess strands around the edges of the muffins with scissors.

Mixture the butter cream frosting, by adding sugar to butter in small amounts and mixing with a fork, when the consistently is good, add the lemon juice. Taste the mixture to adjust the sharpness to your personal preference. With a knife spread a very small amount of icing onto the muffins, they aren’t supposed to be as rich as cupcakes.

Any questions please ask.