Orange and Cranberry Skinny Cupcakes

This is a lovely and very simple low fat recipe - Ive adapted it from the Hairy Dieters Lemon and Blueberry cup cake recipe.

This recipe will make 12 deep cupcakes or 24 small fairy cake size (perfect for lunch boxes) I love this recipe not just for its low fat credentials, but also its ease and simplicity.
The cupcakes are a cross between a traditional sponge and muffin. You don't need a huge amount of skill to make them. from prep to oven in less than 5 minutes.

The cakes keep extremely well for a week in the air tight box.
  
Spoon Usage - 2 
Skill - some cooking knowledge
Cost  18P per cake (9p if you do fairy cake size)

Gadgets -nothing specialist
Muffin/cake tin
Paper cake cases (deep or shallow)
Mixing bowl
whisk
Measuring jug
measuring cups (these measure out teaspoon etc if you don't have some well worth the £1 outlay)
big metal spoon

Ingredients
200G self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  
75g soft Brown sugar (if you don't have any use white caster sugar)
100g cranberries
1 small lemon
2 large eggs (or 3 medium)
50 ml veg or sunflower oil
150g natural yogurt
2 tbs milk
100g icing sugar

Prep - 5 minutes
weigh out all the dry ingredients
grate the orange rind (thats the skin if you are new to baking) use a fine grater don't go down to the pith (the white bit)
measure out the wet ingredients
put paper cases into the tin
turn on oven to 200 C or gas mark 6

Rest

Mix the dry ingredients

1.  sift the flour into a large bowl
2. Add in the sugar
3. add bicarb of soda
4. add in cranberries

5. stir until combined evenly

If needed take a little rest here

Mix the wet ingredients

1. Beat the eggs until smooth, you want them to be light, fluffy and slightly pale
2. pour oil into the bowl 
3. add natural yogurt
4. add milk

5. give a good whisk so all the ingredients are combined - don't worry if it looks a little curdled

Mixing ingredients

1. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients (flour etc)

2. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl

3, take a large metal spoon working quickly, using a figure of 8 motion, mix it together so its just combined (dont over mix or beat it together ) once all the flour is combined this is enough. I find using a big spoon it takes 3 - 4 stirs to do this.

Hope you can see its just mixed..you dont want to knock the air out

4. using a tea spoon - fill the paper cups about - so they are 2 thirds full

my hands wobbled - messy cook :)

5. place in the centre of the oven for 16-18 minutes

 rest and pop the kettle on in anticipation

set your timer and once cooked - you can tell they are cooked if golden brown, and slightly springy to the touch - if your not sure insert a skewer or thin knife if it comes out clean then they are cooked

leave to cool 

6. put the icing sugar in a bowl, cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from 1 half into the sugar..stir until smooth. you can go for thick icing or thick and syrupy your choice. If you fancy it then use orange butter icing

7. cooks privilege eat the 1st one with a cuppa