Buns/cupcakes/fairy cakes for girls birthday

This lemon cake makes buns without a dome finish, ideal for when you want a flat surface for decorating. Alternatively use the buttermilk recipe on this blog.

Makes 24 individual buns

250g butter at room temp.
zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g caster sugar
6 eggs
270g self raising flour
200ml cream

Preheat oven to 160C fan.

Beat butter, sugar and zest until soft.
Add the juice of the lemon to the cream, stir
Add the eggs gradually, if the mix starts to curdle add some of the flour
Add half the flour, blend
Add half the cream and lemon mix
Add remaining flour
Add remaining cream and lemon

Spoon into cases which sit in a muffin/bun tin and cook for approx 30 minutes

buns pictured with macarons

Decoration 1:

The decoration here uses just one scalloped/frilled/fluted cutter to make pretty flowers.  A red background and white flower is just as pretty-use any colour you like!

Cut out some roll out icing and stick to the bun with jam

Roll out some coloured icing and with the same fluted cutter cut a shape
Cut the round in half and with a knife cut as shown in the picture

pick up the 'flower' and close the sides together at the base gently 

Attach to the bun with some jam

Press some marzipan or coloured icing into a sieve, remove and gather into a round, stick on to the flower with jam

Decoration2:

This is made with the same bun but topped with greek yoghurt cream (the one in Lidl if you can get it is delicous) and decorated with piped jam (see cream bun recipe)