Orange Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

These remind me of sunshine and bright happy days.

There's something about citrus scents that chases away the blues. I'm standing at my kitchen counter sniffing away at my bottles of lemon and orange oil like a junkie, and already, I'm a little bit happier.

And besides, cupcakes are happy foods. What's there not to like about bite-sized morsels of colourful creamy fluff? Nothing, that's what.

Orange Cupcakes:

• 60g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 65g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure orange oil
• 100g plain flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 30 ml milk
• 2 drops orange food colouring

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

• 115g icing sugar, sifted
• 55g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon oil
• 1 tablespoon milk or light cream
• 2 drops yellow food colouring
• Green sprinkles
• Sugar violet flowers

Preheat oven to 190C and line 6 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the orange oil and colouring. Add the flour mixture and milk and beat till smooth.

Fill each cup till 3/4 full. Bake for about 16-20 minutes. A skewer inserted into a cupcake should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely while you make the icing.

Cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Turn the mixer down to low and gradually beat in the icing sugar, making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and lemon oil and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Tint the frosting with the yellow food colouring for a bright and cheery yellow colour.

Spoon the frosting into an icing bag with a star tip. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe a swirl of frosting over each cupcake. Decorate with green sprinkles and top off with a sugar violet.

Do you feel happy now?