I had an itch to bake something sweet the other day. Usually when that happens, I mull the idea in my head for hours. Potentially annoyed with the forseeable mess to clean up, I give up the thought at 11pm and go to bed. I really wanted to play in the kitchen though, and I knew that the cleaning lady was coming the next day – so I felt a little bit better about any kitchen experimenting I planned to do.

The basil in my garden is usually reserved for pesto, and a few savory kitchen exploits here and there. While thinking about a lemon basil cream sauce I have made, I got to thinking that maybe basil and lemon could go well together in a cake. Lightbulb moment I tell ya. The cupcakes were yummy, with a very subtle hint of basil. Almost too subtle. Next time, I may use a little more basil or a little less lemon. It was fun playing in the kitchen though.

Lemon Basil Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Cake:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tsp vanilla extract or paste
2⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup basil, chopped

zest of two lemons

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the cake ingredients in a large bowl. Divvy up in to the cupcake pans. Bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are done. While the cupcakes are cooling, get to work on the glaze.

To make the glaze, just whisk everything together.

When everything is cooled down, drip the glaze over the cupcakes. Enjoy!