Lemon and elderflower cupcakes with caramel crowns

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are breaking with tradition for their wedding cake with this taste sensation. - by Fast Ed

Prep: 30 Minutes - Cook: 30 Minutes - Serves 12

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle forgone the usual fruit variety and will be serving up a lemon and elderflower cake instead.

Although you might not be able to sample the official version, Fast Ed’s showing you how to recreate this delicious sweet treat at home.

He’s making easy-to-serve cupcake versions, topped with caramel crowns for a special royal touch.

Ingredients

140g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 75g extra

140g caster sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 free-range eggs

1 free-range egg yolk

1/2 cup almond meal

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp elderflower cordial, plus 1 Tbsp extra

150g icing sugar mixture, sifted

CARAMEL CROWNS

2 cups caster sugar

2 Tbsp glucose syrup

Raspberries, to decorate

Edible gold glitter, to decorate (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional). Combine butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Beat eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl, then add to mixer on low speed in a steady stream until combined. Fold in almond meal. Fold in flour and milk, alternating, in batches, then cordial.
Pipe batter into a 12-hole 1/3 cup capacity muffin tray lined with paper cases. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
Combine extra butter with icing sugar in bowl of electric mixer and beat on high for 5 minutes, until very light, scraping sides. Reduce speed to medium, add extra cordial in steady stream, beating until smooth. Spread over cakes.
To make caramel crowns, heat caster sugar and glucose syrup with 1/2 cup water in a small heavybase saucepan over high heat. Cook until syrup reaches a deep-brown colour (135C), then dip the base of the saucepan in cold water to stop the cooking. Sprinkle the back of a small ladle with cooking oil, then drizzle caramel over to form a crown. As soon as the caramel firms up, twist to remove and set aside. Repeat to make 12 crowns.

You may need to return the caramel to the heat very briefly to keep it warm, but you do not want it to continue cooking.
Place a crown on top of each cake and put raspberries in the middle. Decorate with gold glitter.

For other great food ideas, check out the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. You can buy it from the link below.

Fast Ed

'Fast' Ed Halmagyi is one of Australia’s best-loved TV chefs and food authors. For over a decade, Ed has appeared on television and radio, in newspapers, magazines and books.