Meyer Lemon Sponge Cupcakes

Happy New Year! 

I see many fellow bloggers already busy cooking and baking and some even started making cookies for the coming Chinese New Year.  What have I been doing after the festive season?  Nothing!  The after-effects of the Christmas and New Year festivities made me feel so lazy to do anything;  I think I need to recharge my internal battery for 2014. 

Last year I have a bumper crops of Meyer lemons from one single lemon tree, so I have a lot of  frozen lemon juice cubes sitting in my freezer.  After seeing AnnCoo's Grapefruit Sponge Cupcakes, I decided to make lemon sponge cupcakes instead.  The cakes turned out very light and taste good too, although  they looked a little pale.  Another 5 more minutes of baking would be perfect?  

Adapted from Ann's Grapefruit Sponge Cupcakes



(Makes 6 big cupcakes)

Ingredients:

25g Rice Bran oil

40g freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

3 large cold eggs (straight from fridge)

80g caster sugar

100g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

zest from 1 orange

• Preheat oven at 170 deg and line muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a cup, mix rice bran oil and lemon juice together and set aside.
• Sift flour and salt together, set aside.
• Using a stand mixer, whisk cold eggs and sugar together at high speed for 3 minutes, until thick and fluffy.  Then reduce to medium speed and whisk for 10 minutes.  Continue to whisk for another 1 minute at low speed.
• Add in orange zest.  While continuing to whisk at low speed, gradually add in flour, followed by oil and lemon juice mixture.  Do not over mix.  Use a spatula to fold the batter until well combined.
• Spoon batter into paper liners until 90% full.  Tap the muffin pan on kitchen bench to remove air bubbles.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown.