Additional Ingredients

For the crystalized lime peel and for the lime syrup:

2	unwaxed limes
100 grams	Golden Caster Sugar (Billington's) (3½oz), plus extra to coat
100 ml	Water (3½fl oz)
30 grams	Icing Sugar (Silver Spoon Homegrown) (1¼oz) dissolved in the juice of 1½ limes

Further Additional Ingredients

For the white chocolate frosting:

200 grams	(7oz) white chocolate, broken into pieces
125 ml	(4fl oz) whipping cream
175 grams	Butter (6oz) unsalted, softened
	grated zest of 1 lime and juice of ½
350 grams	Golden Caster Sugar (Billington's) 11½oz)

How to make Eric Lanlard's Key Lime Cupcakes

• Click on the text to highlight the different stages as you go along,
  or click the button below to enlarge all text

1. To make the Crystallized Lime Peel: pare the peel from each lime, then carefully cut it into thin strips. Put the caster sugar and the water in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring.
2. Once bubbling, add one-third of the lime peel and cook for 3–4 minutes. Remove the peel, roll gently in caster sugar and lay them on greaseproof paper. (Don’t arrange them on top of each other or they will stick together.) Repeat with the remaining peel and leave to dry overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6, and line a cupcake tin with paper cases. Using a free-standing mixer or electric hand whisk, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fl uffy. Add the eggs, slowly, one at the time. Then add the lime zest and juice, and the vanilla extract.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Gradually add this to the butter mixture with alternate spoonfuls of buttermilk. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.
5. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then transfer to a wirerack. Whilst warm, use a cocktail stick to insert small holes all over each cupcake, spoon over a teaspoon of lime syrup and allow it to soak and cool before frosting. To make the frosting: melt the chocolate with the cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. Allow to cool completely. Then whisk in the butter, lime zest, juice and icing sugar. When smooth, use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto each cake, and decorate with a few strands of crystallized lime peel.

Reviews