Lemon Black Pepper Cupcakes; soft fluffy lemon cupcakes gently warmed with cracked black peppercorns and swirled with sweet tangy frosting.
[this recipe is now a Patreon exclusive – click here]
Yes, you did read that correctly. Bonkers as the concept of grinding some pepper into a cake might seem, hear me out.
We don’t turn our nose up at traditionally “sweet” spices such as cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg in our baked goods. Nowadays we’re seeing cardamom on the rise, and there’s turmeric in just about everything. We in the western hemisphere are still finding our feet with the beauty of ground spices, which can lead to some strange-sounding combinations. The thought of sweet and savoury is also still relatively new to our palates, so I can fully understand if your eyebrows are furrowed during your scrolling through (or past) this post.
Citrus and spices make a perfect pair. Grapefruit and ginger, orange and cinnamon. Lemon and black pepper.
Fluffy cake and whipped frosting with the fresh scent of the lemon, turning into tangy tartness as you bite in. The familiar warmth and depth of black peppercorns. The sweetness of sugar and mellow creaminess of butter bringing everything together.
These Lemon Black Pepper Cupcakes are both simplicity and absurdity in one. Challenging your tastebuds while also pleasing them. There is nothing complicated in their appearance, their conception or in their eating. Yet they still offer something deliciously different.
The idea for these Lemon Black Pepper Cupcakes came from the ever-inspirational Ruby Tandoh in her book, Flavour. She talks at length about the delight of her favourite Lemon Buttermilk And Black Pepper Cake. She describes its sunniness with such care that I couldn’t stop myself from creating something similar this Sunday past.
Lemon is already a favourite flavour of mine, as evidenced in this Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake or these simple Lemon Madeleines. However, my curiosity led me through this recipe as though I’d never tasted the fruit before. I’m very glad it did.
The full recipe for these Lemon Black Pepper Cupcakes is available on my Patreon page – click here!
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