Bex’s lemon and elderflower cordial iced muffins recipe

This is my absolute go-to recipe for small cakes and muffins; easily customised with chocolate chunks and a squished up banana, marzipan and chopped cherries or a hidden spoonful of Nutella, they are super-quick to knock up and require minimal mixing.

Here they have a little home-made lemon and elderflower curd in the centre to add a delicious zesty gooey-ness, and are iced at my mum’s request with her favourite food group ever, white lemon icing; shop-bought curd works brilliantly too! 

Ingredients

300g self-raising flour

150g sugar

240ml milk

60ml sunflower oil

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder

1 lemon, juice and zest

6 teaspoons of lemon curd

For the icing

200g icing sugar, sifted if it’s a little hard and lumpy

1 lemon, juiced

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Tip the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.
3. Add the egg, milk and oil to the bowl and stir until everything is just about combined; the trick is to not over mix it!
4. Pour in the lemon juice, add the zest then give the mix one final stir.
5. Place a dessertspoon of mixture into each paper case, then carefully add half a teaspoon of lemon curd into the centre of each one.
6. Divide the rest of the mixture between the cakes, spooning it over the top of the curd.
7. Bake for around 15 minutes until the tops are springy and the sponge golden, before moving them onto a wire rack to cool.
8. Once the cakes are at room temperature, make the topping. Place the icing sugar in a large bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Add boiling water, a spoonful at a time, stirring well until the icing has reached a thick creamy consistency.
9. Divide the icing between the cakes, using the back of a spoon to nudge it gently towards the edges.
10. Decorate with edible flowers such as primroses if you have any!