The fashion for cupcakes seems to have passed but these could easily be called cupcakes, or fairy cakes, and decorated with buttercream or icing and sprinkles if you like. When I was a little girl my mum often made things like this and they were always called "buns". She rarely had a lemon in the house, except at Christmas, so would have added a few chopped glacé cherries or currants - in which case they would have been called cherry buns or currant buns! Even more occasionally she would have swirled some simple icing on the top and maybe a few hundreds and thousands left over from the Christmas trifle, especially if aunts and uncles (and assorted cousins) were coming to tea which would have warranted something a bit more fancy than usual.
My mixture actually made nine buns so one served as "quality control" and consequently I can confirm that they were lovely. My friend sent me a message the next day to say she and her husband really enjoyed them and none of them made it to the freezer!
Simple buns never go out of fashion.
Ingredients
For the buns
115g baking spread or softened butter
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
115g self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
For the drizzle
juice of 1 lemon
2 tblsp granulated sugar
Method
Put 10 paper cake cases into a muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 200° C / 180° fan / gas mk 6.
Put all of the cake ingredients into a medium sized bowl and beat well with a hand held electric whisk, or a wooden spoon, until well blended.
Divide the mixture evenly between the bun cases filling each one to about two thirds full. Using an ice cream scoop with a lever action can help to make them all about the same.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and springy. While they are in the oven make the drizzle by mixing the sugar and lemon juice together.
While the buns are still warm, prick holes in the top and spoon the drizzle over. Remove from the tin to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Makes 8-10 buns.
