National Cupcake Week 17th - 24th September: A cupcake round-up!

It’s that time of year again where you get to gorge yourself on lots of naughty, but pretty treats all in the name of supporting a national celebration week. And what exactly is it we are celebrating………CUPCAKES!

Unfortunately this year I have been celebrating from the side-lines! As close as I got to a cupcake was baking a few batches for a Macmillan Nurses Coffee Morning fundraiser, but even so, I thought I could contribute something to the table.

So here is a round-up of all of the cupcake-y goodness that I've brought to you in the past. They are some of my favourite recipes to cook and share, so please give them a go and share the cupcake love!

Enjoy!

First things first, you’ll need a basic fairy cake recipe! This is my go to recipe for any cakey needs.

These Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes are the perfect grown up cake for a more sophisticated bake.

Kids and grown ups alike will LOVE these American inspired Oreo cupcakes

These Elderflower and Gooseberry Butterfly Cakes won a competition last year! Therefore this recipe is a must have in any cupcake collection.

My Lemon Meringue Cupcakes really are a show stopper!

This is my most favourite recipe EVER – the bakewell muffin is heaven on a plate!

One of my favourite muffin recipes, this is a twist on the classic American muffin – Blueberry and Lemon Curd muffins.

Not quite a cupcake, but these Miniature Carrot Cakes would look good on any cake stand

For a more deep and sophisticated flavour, look no further than my caramel cupcake recipe

The perfect cupcake for Christmas hosting – my After Dinner Mint cupcakes.

Another Christmassy cake, perfect for kids, red velvet Rudolfcupcakes

And that completes my cupcake-y round up for National Cupcake Week! I hope they have inspired you to get creative in the kitchen!

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cakes

This recipe originally started off as a loaf cake. It was super moist and delicious, but I have to admit it was a monster of a cake and never looked as good as it tasted. So I thought I’d downsize and see if I could keep the recipe as zesty and moist, but prettier and daintier than before.

I made these cakes for a little persons 3rd birthday party, Ezra. We visited Laura and her family for his birthday and spent a wonderful day playing in the garden – we set up our own mini Olympics, played in the paddling pool and swung on the swings, and of course we ate lots of lovely cake! Laura made a wonderful birthday cake in the shape of a ladybird (Ezra’s favourite) and I brought along these little lemon and poppy seed cakes.

I chose to decorate some with poppy seeds (for the adults) and fun brightly coloured sprinkles for Phoebe and Ezra. Another cute idea would be to top them with candied lemon peel. You can also change the consistency of the icing to taste.

I like to think these are the perfect summer cake and would look great at any picnic or garden party, so with just a few weeks of sunshine left, I recommend you get out and make these this weekend: you won’t regret it.