To make 12 cupcakes you will need:
For the cake:
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150g soft salted butter
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125g castor sugar
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25g honey
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3 large eggs, at room temperature
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1 Typhoo tea bag
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Zest of 1 lemon
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150g self-raising flour
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½ tsp baking powder
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2 tbsp milk
For the icing:
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120g egg white (about 3 large egg whites though you should use the pasteurised whites found in cartons if you are worried about salmonella etc)
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Zest of 1 lemon
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240g castor sugar
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75g cold water
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390g very soft, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
For the drizzle:
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Juice of 2 lemons
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55g honey
To decorate:
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1 Typhoo tea bag
Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/gas mark 3 and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases. Make the cakes by beating together the butter, sugar and honey for about 5 minutes with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until really light and creamy.
Beat the eggs in a jug with the Typhoo tea (from the teabag) and the zest and add a little at a time to the creamy butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fold in the flour, baking powder and lastly the milk.
Divide equally between the cases and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until a skewer comes out of the middle cupcake clean.
Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing, whisk the egg whites and zest to soft peaks in a free standing mixer.
Add a tablespoon of the castor sugar to the egg whites, whisk again to incorporate and turn the mixer off. Place the cold water and the rest of the sugar into a small pan (I use a milk pan) with a sugar thermometer and heat until it reaches 121°C.
Then turn the mixer onto a medium speed and pour the boiling sugar syrup into the mixer in one continuous stream. (Don’t worry if your mixer looks a mess and has boiled sugar attached to the side of the bowl and the whisk, it washes off with hot soapy water).
Leave the mixer running for about 5 – 7 minutes until the bowl is cold to the touch. (You are essentially making Italian meringue here; simply cooking the egg whites with the hot sugar).
In the meantime heat the drizzle ingredients in a pan over a medium heat until starting to bubble and then carefully brush or pour over the cupcakes.
When the mixer bowl is cold, start to add the butter in pieces about the size of a pound coin.
Add one every 5 seconds with the whisk on a medium speed. Once it’s all added, turn the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. Don’t worry if the mixture looks unappetising, it’ll come together in the end! Stop the mixer every minute or so to scrape the sides and the whisk and ensure any blobs of butter are properly beaten in.
When the lemon meringue buttercream looks well mixed, use to spread or pipe over the cupcakes.
Top with a little sprinkle of Typhoo tea and serve with, you guessed it, a steaming hot cup of Typhoo tea!
Serve with a cup of Typhoo tea!
