St Clement's Three Silver Tree Cupcake

St Clement's orange and lemon cupcake with retro silver Christmas tree picks, on a meringue snow drift. 

We had an aluminimum Christmas tree when I was a child, when I saw the silver tree picks I had to have them! Memories of Mum & I decorating the tree with "snow balls" from cotton wool came flooding back. 

In memory of my Mum...

St Clement's Cupcakes
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups  plain flour (all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain yoghurt 
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp of orange zest
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs orange juice
Optional; Grand Marnier, Limoncello or orange/lemon liqueur of your choice for brushing tops of cakes

12 hole cupcake tray lined with paper liners
Pre heat oven to 180c (350F)

Method
Cream butter, sugar & zests and until light and fluffy, add egg and beat until just combined.

Sift flour & baking powder together.
Mix yoghurt and juices together.
Fold flour and yoghurt mix alternatively, starting and finishing with the flour.

Divided mixture into lined cupcake tray & bake 20 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness by lightly touching the centre of the cake, they should spring back slightly.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes, remove to cooling rack, brush tops of cakes with Grand Marnier or Limoncello. Leave to cool completely and frost with Fluffy Frosting.

Fluffy Frosting; The frosting colours and flavours extremely well, so is suitable for a range of uses/cakes, often used on Angel Food Cakes. Staying glossy for a couple of hours, the frosting them develops a meringue like crust. You can also bring out your gas torch to brown your freshly frosted Lemon meringue cakes.

Of course I prefer Martha Stewart's Fluffy Frosting, I've taken out the vanilla essence out of the frosting for these cakes because I wanted to play the acid of the citrus off against the sweetness of the meringue.

Fluffy Frosting
Makes 3 cups
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large egg whites

Directions
1. In the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and egg whites. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, and whisk until the mixture feels warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
2. Return the bowl to the mixer stand. With the whisk attachment, whip on high 
3. until cooled, about 8 minutes. Use immediately.

*If the weather is humid, you may need to beat the frosting for an additional minute in each step to stiffen it

Cupcakes adapted from two lemon cakes, one by Julie Hasson & one by Donna Hay.

Fluffy Frosting From Martha Stewart Weddings, Summer 1999

Decorations

Retro Sliver Cupcake Picks  in packs of 12

Wilton white edible glitter

Creating a snow drift; I used a Loyal number 9 star tip & held the piping bad sideways piping in a wave pattern across the surface of the cake. Tap base of cake on bench to settle the frosting slightly over the sides of the cake. If your frosting is holding too much of a distinct star pattern, squeeze your piping bag a few times to knock out a little of air in the frosting and try again. 

Put a teaspoon or two of edible glitter in a fine sieve and push through for a fine "snow" fall effect. Put in your silver tree picks.