Preparation Notes: plus 20 setting
Serving notes: Makes 24 cakes
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For the cupcakes
- 125 (4oz) unsalted butter, softened and chopped
- Finely grated zest of half a lemon
- 200 (7oz) golden caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 175 (6oz) ground almonds
- 150 (5oz) self-raising flour
For the icing
- 100 (31⁄2oz) white icing sugar
- Assorted food colours
- 24 sugared almonds to decorate (optional)
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) mark 4. Line two 12-hole muffin tins with 24 muffin cases.
- Step 2
Put the butter, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, almonds and flour into a food processor and blend until evenly combined.
- Step 3
Half fill each muffin case with a rounded tablespoonful of cake mixture. Bake for 20min until the cakes are golden, firm and risen. Leave to cool in the tins.
- Step 4
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add 2tbsp hot water, then stir well until smooth. Divide two-thirds of the icing between two further bowls. Dip a cocktail stick in the red colour, then stir into one bowl of icing until evenly coloured pink. Repeat with the blue colour in the second bowl of icing, then combine a drop of red with a drop of blue to make lilac icing in the third bowl. Stir well.
- Step 5
Spoon icing on to each cupcake. If decorating with sugared almonds, add before icing sets. Leave to set for 20min. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
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Per Serving:
- Calories: 170
- Total carbs: 18 g
- Sugars: 13 g
- Total fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 3 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
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