Lemon Tree

I was humming this tune yesterday, while flipping through a magazine.....a perfectly harmless way to pass time you'd think. But noooo.....out of nowhere the image of a cupcake lemon cupcake pops into my head. I am weird like that. I can associate anything and everything with cupcakes. You can argue that it's a good thing and I'd agree with you...it's just that, my weighing scale doesn't and neither does M. But that's another story.

Back to lemons! I love a good strong citrus kick in my salads but that's about it. Lemony desserts have been around for ages, I know. Somehow, I was not convinced they'd work for me. Not until yesterday. I had more lemons than I knew what to do with and more than enough time on my hands. 

The result? Lemon Yogurt Cupcakes! 

This Donna Hay recipe is the bomb. Don't change a thing. The cakes are moist and tender and the lemony tang is perfect for a warm, humid summer afternoon. The only thing I did was halve the recipe (I told you I wasn't a believer before this cupcake came my way). Next time, I sure will double it!

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup vegetable oil
• 2 Cups self raising flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 and 3/4 Cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp Finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice I went with 4 tbsp of juice
• 1 Cup thick natural yogurt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius
• Whisk oil, eggs, sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and yogurt in a bowl till it is thoroughly combined
• Sift in the flour and stir till it forms a smooth batter.
• Spray cupcake liners with oil and scoop batter into each till its 3/4 full
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes till the tops are a light golden brown and spring back when touched
• Frost and eat!

Note: For a fluffier cupcake, whisk the oil and sugar together for about 5 minutes till the mixture becomes pale and then add the rest of the wet ingredients to combine. It's also not a bad idea to add 1.5 tsp baking powder to the flour before sifting it in.

This cupcake pairs brilliantly with a basic lemon butter-cream frosting. 

Don't you just love it?