Making Time For Tea & Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

I hope everyone is having a great start to the New Year and feels refreshed and ready to enjoy 2011 to the fullest. B. and I don't really make resolutions as we know what works and what does not, what needs to go and what needs to be and always keep those in mind. Not just because it is the New Year. It's refreshing to think of beginnings though. Possibilities.

This past Sunday, we pulled out the big calendar and jotted down our respective commitments so far. We got to July and looked at each other with a big smile and circled August three times and wrote with capitals "vacances a deux". There's been a lot of traveling but it's been too long since we traveled just the two of us and we absolutely love it. We'd love to go to Ireland and Scotland where he is from. It's not a definite yet but we'll work hard to make it happen. Got to dream big right? Right!

The second thing I wrote down in my internal calendar was to make an effort to put myself on pause for tea time. I've mentioned this family tradition before where would gather at the dinner table around 4 or 5 o'clock and have a cup of tea and a couple of cookies or a slice of pie. It was a good way to talk about anything. It was the perfect way to breathe and make plans, laugh and banter.

The cooler days in Winter are perfect just to curl up on the sofa, and take a little time to just be. No disturbance or interference. I am all about a sweet little nosh with my tea and I love making our favorite family treat back home, a simple lemon and olive oil yogurt cake. Everyone, boy or girl, in the family has been taught this cake as soon as they were able to handle a mixing spoon. So easy, so good, so comforting.

This time I changed it up a bit and turned the cake into cupcakes with cream cheese frosting left over from making carrot cake macarons. I also used desiccated coconut as part of the gluten free flour mix I used for no the reason that although he likes the flavor of coconut, B. can't stand the shreds. I bumped the citrus for good measure and the cupcakes were a hit.

Perfect with a hot cup of tea on a sunny Winter afternoon...

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes:

Makes 14

For the cupcakes:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup olive oil (don't skimp on the quality)
1 cup plain yogurt (low or full fat)
zest and juice of a lemon
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
shaved coconut to decorate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line cupcake tins with cupcake liners, slightly brush the inside olive oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice and zest and whisk again so that everything is well mixed. Add the rice flour, millet flour, coconut, baking powder and salt and mix until the batter is smooth. (You can do this in a stand mixer if desired)
Divide among the muffin tins, filling no more than 2/3 of the way up. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of crumbs.
Let cool completely before frosting. Once frosted, add a few pieces of shaved coconut if desired.

Cream cheese frosting:
From this post.