Blueberry & lemon cupcakes

Blueberry cupcakes (makes 12 muffin size cakes)

Ingredients
125g (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened (sweet butter)
125g (4 ounces) icing sugar, (powdered sugar)
4 egg whites
50g (5.2 ounces) Gluten free self-raising flour
100g (3.5 ounces) blueberries
150g (5 ounces) ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Zest of one lemon

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
2. Line baking tray with paper cases
3. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form
4. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
5. Stir in the flour, vanilla essence, blueberries, lemon zest and almonds and mix thoroughly
6. Fold in the egg whites
7. Spoon mixture into cases
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes
9. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool

Decorating the cakes

You will need:
Vanilla butter frosting
Roll-on icing (sugar paste)
Pale blue food colouring paste
Rolling pin
Butterfly cutter
Small paintbrush
Piping bag and nozzle
Sieved icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

1. Fill piping bag with vanilla butter frosting and pipe in peaks on top of the cakes
2. Lightly dust work surface with icing sugar
3. Place roll-on icing onto surface and gradually add food colouring to roll-on icing with a cocktail stick (as it is very concentrated), and knead colour in. Keep adding food colouring until you get desired colour
4. Roll out icing so it is about 5mm thick, and cut out butterfly shape using cutter
5. Place on top of iced cake, and with a damp brush lightly paint the top to bring back the shine

As I have to have a gluten free diet, I substitute the self-raising flour for gluten and wheat free self raising flour.

Blue and white spot cupcake cases

Mini Butterfly cookie cutters from here.

Have a sweet day!