Nettle & Lemon Cupcakes
More with nettles! I can’t get enough of them at the moment and I’m still revelling in their blood building / cleansing, nutri-restorative wonder. I thought I’d share the recipe I’ve been making for friends, family and at recent workshops, which uses a whole basketful of Nettles: that’s a lot of goodness in a family-friendly format!
INGREDIENTS
100g fresh Nettle tips (tip and first pair of leaves from the stem) It looks like a lot, but it cooks down to one handful!
150g self raising organic flour / alternative self-raising flour
120g unrefined caster sugar / coconut sugar
100g butter (at room temperature)
2 medium eggs (at room temperature)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
Pinch of salt (I used a couple of grains of Celtic Salt)
Turn oven on to 180oC (160 fan).
TO PREPARE THE NETTLES: wash the nettle tops in a colander (use tongs or rubber gloves) then blanch in simmering water for 5 mins. Drain, then cool rapidly in running cold water and then leave to cool completely. If you don’t cool them quickly they’ll loose their bright green colour and go brown. You will be able to handle the nettles now as the stinging hairs have been deactivated by the blanching. When cold, squeeze as much water out of the nettles as possible then chop finely and put in a large bowl.
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl and mix well with an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon.
Divide the mixture equally amongst the cupcake cases. Bake in the oven for 14 - 16 mins. The cupcakes are done when you can press the top gently with a finger and the cake bounces back when you lift your finger.
Remove them from the oven and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack. I like to ice with a light lemony glaze, made with a sprinkle of icing sugar, some lemon juice, and a spoonful of soured cream, and decorate with seasonal edible flowers... try lilac, borage, flowering currant, primroses, violets, dandelion or calendula petals.
