Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

First up let’s make the sponge; preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°C/ Gas Mark 4. Grab your cupcake tin and line with 12 cupcake cases.

Pop your margarine and sugar into a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and Lemon Extract and continue to mix until your mixture is smooth, if it begins to curdle don’t worry add a spoonful of flour and it’ll be lovely and smooth in no time. 

Sieve over the remaining flour and fold through your mixture until just combined. Pour in your tonic and mix again.

Divide your mixture between your cupcake cases and pop in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until your sponge has risen and is a lovely golden brown, to double check it’s fully baked pop a skewer into the centre of cupcakes and it should come out clean. 

Whilst your cupcakes are baking it’s time to get the syrup ready; pop the sugar, gin and tonic in a saucepan and gently heat over a low heat to melt to sugar. Set aside. 

Once your cupcakes are out of the oven gently brush some syrup over the top of each one. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then pop on a wire rack to cool completely.  

Pop your butter in a large bowl and beat until smooth and glossy, you can do this either in a freestanding mixer or using an electric hand whisk. Add in the icing sugar in 3 intervals making sure it is combined after each addition. Finally add the Lemon Extract and gin and whip your buttercream until light and fluffy.

Pop your buttercream into a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle. Pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake. 

For the ultimate G&T finish, top each cupcake with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of lemon zest!