A Community of Tasters

Maybe it’s my sheer joy in any aspect of Community that warms my heart and blossoms into a greater humanity than the sum of the individuals taking part. Or maybe it’s sheer under-confidence in my cooking.  Whatever the reason, I do like sharing the things I cook.  So, whenever a new recipe emerges I snuffle out someone to try it on.  They’re still living, so far.

Here’s an insignificantly looking cupcake that punches a lemony wallop. Here, too are images of two of the tasters who tried it out. The cake recipe was pencil-scribbled into my Filofax some 20 years ago, in friend Chris’ kitchen.  The rest emerged as a possibility while staring  at the air in the middle of our hallway.

Lemon Curd Sandwich Cupcakes

The Cake:

Find an individual 150 gm. cup of plain yogurt (or a cup that measures 6 fl ozs., ¾ cup). Use this cup as a measure for the other ingredients.

1. Empty the contents, or 6 ozs of yogurt into a bowl or food processor.
2. Add 1 measure of oil.
3. Add 2 measures of sugar.
4. Add 3 measures of self-raising (self rising) flour, and ½ tsp. salt.
5. Add 2 eggs, beaten.
6. Add the zest of 2 small or 1 large lemon.

8.. Mix well and bake in paper cupcakes in mod oven, about 15 minutes.

9. Squeeze the juice from the lemon(s) and mix well with 1 heaped tablespoon icing (confectioners) sugar.
10. As soon as cakes are baked, poke holes in the top with a cocktail stick (toothpick) and pour ¼ teaspoon of the juice-icing sugar mixture on top of each. Let it soak in as it cools.
11. Cool completely, and remove papers.
12. Slice horizontally and spread the middle with lemon curd (see below).
13. Dust with the faintest whisper of icing sugar. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes. 

Children’s cake recipe

You can use this cake recipe for little hands, because there is no weighing. They can practice cracking the eggs in a separate dish before adding to the batter.  Simply follow steps 1 – 6, adding 1 teaspoon vanilla instead of the lemon zest and juice, and pouring in as many chocolate chips that escape eating before they are mixed into the batter.  Bake as in step 8.

Lemon Curd

For those of you who can’t dash down to your local supermarket for a jar of lemon curd, you are in LUCK, because homemade is easy (as daughter aged 12 showed me) and far tastier. Here is Delia Smith’s recipe:

Put 3 ozs/80 grams/scant ½ cup caster sugar (superfine) in the top of a bain marie (double boiler), or saucepan, with the zest of a large juicy lemon or 2 small ones.

1. In another dish whisk 2 eggs and the juice of the above.
2. Decant the egg mixture onto the sugar.
3. Add 2 ozs/2 tablespoons/50 grams butter, preferably unsalted.
4. Mix well.
5. Put saucepan over, not in, a pan of barely simmering water.
6. Stir frequently until thickened, about 20 minutes.
7. Make sure the curd is completely cold before sandwiching it into the cupcakes.