Ingredients
| 150 g | Unsalted butter, softened |
| 150 g | Caster sugar |
| 3 | Eggs |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla paste, or use seeds from ½ vanilla pod (Main) |
| 1 | Lemon, zest and juice |
| 200 g | High grade flour |
| 1 tsp | Baking powder |
| ½ tsp | Baking soda |
| ¼ tsp | Salt |
| ⅓ cup | Milk, warmed, you may need up to ½ cup |
Ganache
| ½ cup | Cream |
| 100 g | Dark chocolate (Main) |
| 1 | Orange, finely grated zest and juice (Main) |
| 1 sprinkle | Cocoa powder, or chopped hazelnuts, to dust (Main) |
Directions
- Heat oven to 180C. Cream butter with caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating fully after each. Add vanilla bean paste and fold in lemon zest and juice.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter in stages, folding in gently as you go. Add ⅓ cup of warm milk, more if required, to create a batter with a nice drop consistency.
- Line large or medium-sized muffin pans with appropriate sized cupcake liners. Spoon in mixture to ¾ fill the liners. Bake for 20 minutes or more (depending on size) until they have risen and a cake skewer comes out clean. Cool before icing.
- To make icing, heat cream, removing from heat just before it boils. Add dark chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Add the finely grated zest and juice of an orange, refrigerate to thicken.
- Use a palette or butter knife to spread on to cupcakes, or a piping bag to make them pretty. Dust with cocoa or sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.