Lemony Cupcakes

These are basic cupcakes with some lemon zest and juice added. They’re great as they are, but it’s the icing that really sets them apart. Slightly sweet, slightly tart, slightly clinging to the roof of your mouth… Good stuff.

So that’s 200 grams selfraising flour/200 grams butter/200 grams sugar/3 eggs/1 heaped teaspoon baking powder. Simply combine this in a food processor, leaving you with a sticky batter. Add zest of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of juice.
Bake in a pre-heated oven, 190 degrees, for 15 to 20 minutes, until risen and golden.

For the icing: combine 250 grams of icing sugar with a tiny pinch of salt. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice and stir with a whisk. At first nothing happens. Then it becomes a mess. Then in becomes a thick paste, that’s the moment you start to worry. But never fear! All of a sudden Something happens, call it a chemical reaction, call it magic, call it what you will, but behold! Suddenly it’s silky smooth, halfway between a liquid and a solid and whiter than freshly fallen snow. A white that is dull and glossy at the same time. It’s awesome. Dollop this on top of the cakes and allow to set.

Pizza

Basic pizza dough:
250 grams flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried yeast
125-145 millilitre warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the flour with the salt and yeast and make a well in the centre. Add the oil and a slosh of the water, be prepared to add more. Start combining and kneading with your hands. It will start off a shaggy mess, but keep going, it will come together. You want it to feel extremely soft and slightly moist, but not sticky.
Knead on a floured surface for about ten minutes. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. My trick is to place that bowl in a one size larger bowl with a layer of hot water in it. When using dried yeast, you really need that boost of heat to get it going. Leave for about an hour or until doubled in size. Remover from the bowl and work it with your hands. It should be incredibly smooth and elastic and you should easily be able to form it into a circle as think or thin as you want it.