Lemon crème brûlée style cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to Gas Mk 4. Then cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

2. Then beat the eggs and add the vanilla. To the butter and sugar, add half the flour and half the beaten eggs. Mix, then add the remainder of flour and eggs into the mixture, making sure there are no lumps. When you reach this point, add the lemon zest.

3. Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases or 6-8 greased ramekins, making sure they are evenly distributed. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. (Test with a skewer) Once done take out of the oven and cool completely.

4. Spread a thin layer of sugar onto the tops of the cakes, about 2 mm at most. Either using a grill or a blowtorch to caramelise the sugar, keeping a close eye on the cakes, especially if using a grill, it doesn't take long to burn! With the grill, it helps to do it 1-2 cakes at a time in the centre of the cake tin, turning every 30 seconds or so.

5. Leave the topping to cool slightly before eating, enjoy!