Lemony Sour Cream Cakelets {Recipe}

I love it when a plan comes together.

I had a huge tub of sour cream sitting in the fridge needing to be used and a couple of tired lemons languishing in the fruit bowl.

Inspired by the success of my one bowl, 1st Prize Chocolate Cake, I threw everything in, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

The cake gods were smiling down on me.

These cakelets are good in every way a lemon cake ought to be:

• Tangy and moist with a zingy lemon icing
• They’re soooooooooo easy to make.
• They get better with time – make them a day ahead and continue to enjoy any leftovers the day after.

They'd be perfect for a Mother's Day afternoon tea, dressed up with some sugar flowers.

I call them cakelets because they're small and not baked in papers. A cake release spray like Wilton’s Easy Bake is your best friend here. If you're nervous about your cakes sticking, bake them in pretty cases instead. It’s your tea party after all!

RECIPE: Lemony Sour Cream Cakelets

Zingy, tangy and moist little cakes (cakelets), perfect for a special afternoon tea. Makes 10 cakelets.

An original recipe by Di Nolan

Ingredients

80g unsalted butter, softened

½ cup caster sugar

2 eggs

120g sour cream (I used light sour cream but full fat should be fine too)

½ cup plain flour, sifted

½ cup SR flour, sifted

zest of a large lemon (at least a tablespoons worth)

2 tblsp lemon juice

Icing

2 cups icing sugar, siifted

¼ tsp milk

2tblsp lemon juice

Yellow gel food colouring (optional)

Sugar flower decorations (optional)

Method

1. Grease a 12 cup muffin tray (or line with cupcake liners if you’d prefer). Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Put butter, caster sugar, eggs, sour cream and flours into mixing bowl and mix on low speed until it comes together. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
3. Add lemon juice and zest and mix through again at medium speed for 30 seconds or until evenly mixed through.
4. Divide the mixture between 10 pans.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until your kitchen smells lemony and a skewer comes out clean when tested. Mine came out with cracked tops – that’s ok. The icing will cover this.
6. Allow to cool completely before turning out.

To ice

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl and add milk and half of the lemon juice.
2. Mix to form a thick paste.
3. Keep adding a little more juice at a time, mixing through every time until you achieve a thick, smooth icing. You don’t want it to run straight over the edge of the cakes.
4. If colouring the icing, use a toothpick to pick up a tiny amount of colour and quickly dip into the icing. Mix thoroughly. I wanted just a hint of yellow in the icing but if you want it darker, add a touch more colour.
5. Using a spoon, dollop a little icing on a cakelet and spread with a spatula.
6. Top with a sugar flower if you’re using.
7. Pop the kettle on grab your teapot – it’s time for a tea party!