This recipe combines two of your favourite things, cupcakes and cocktails! Containing both gin and Prosecco, these lemony cakes are the perfect treat to serve to your friends that enjoy a spot of decadence.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
For the cakes
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- 125 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 lemons, zest finely grated
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 40 g ground almonds
- 1 Tbsp. gin
- 4 tsp. prosecco
For the syrup and topping
- 125 g caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
- 1 Tbsp. prosecco
- 1 Tbsp. gin
- 1 lemon, halved lengthways and sliced into 12 half-moons, pips removed
- 250 g icing sugar, sifted
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- Edible gold stars, optional
- Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with a handheld electric whisk until pale and fluffy, about 5min. Gradually beat in the eggs, followed by the lemon zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon.
- Step 2Fold in the flour and ground almonds with a large metal spoon, followed by the gin and prosecco. Divide mixture among the cases and bake for 20-25min until risen and a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean.
- Step 3Meanwhile, make the syrup: gently heat caster sugar and 250ml (9fl oz) water in a small pan, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Turn up heat and boil for 1min. Spoon all but 2tbsp of the syrup into a small bowl. Add the prosecco and gin to the remaining syrup in the pan. Boil again for 30sec (this will be used to soak the cakes later). Set bowl and pan aside.
- Step 4As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, poke holes all over the tops with a cocktail stick. Drizzle or brush over the prosecco/gin syrup and leave for 5min before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 5Meanwhile, make the candied lemon slices. Return syrup in bowl to the empty pan and bring to the boil. Add lemon slices. Turn down heat and simmer for 8-10min until slices are translucent. Lift out with a slotted spoon on to baking parchment and leave to cool. When cool, sprinkle liberally with caster sugar.
- Step 6For the icing, beat icing sugar and butter with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Chill until needed.
- Step 7Once the cakes are completely cool, pipe on icing and top each one with a candied lemon slice and edible gold stars, if using. Serve
GH Tip
For a gluten free version, use a gluten free self-raising flour blend, we like Doves Farm.
To store
Keep the cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 398
- Protein: 3 g
- Total Fat: 20 g
- Saturated: 11 g
- Carbs: 48 g
- Total Sugars: 42 g
- Fibre: 1 g
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
