Preheat and Prep: Begin by preheating your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/Gas Mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases. This simple step ensures your cupcakes don't stick and makes for easy serving.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, caster sugar, and the optional baking powder and pinch of salt. Use a whisk to ensure everything is thoroughly combined and there are no lumps. The mixture should look light and uniform, like fresh snow.

Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until just combined. You're looking for a pale yellow liquid, with tiny flecks of lemon zest visible throughout, giving off a lovely citrus aroma.

Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, gently fold everything together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few small lumps are perfectly fine and actually help to keep the cupcakes light and fluffy. Overmixing develops the gluten too much, resulting in a tougher texture. The batter should be thick, pale yellow, and smell beautifully zesty.

Fill Cases & Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared cupcake cases, filling each about two-thirds full. Place the tin into your preheated oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown around the edges, spring back gently when lightly touched, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. You'll notice a delightful sweet, lemony scent filling your kitchen as they bake, and they'll have risen beautifully with a slight domed top.

Cool and Glaze/Frost: Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. If you're making a simple glaze, whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cupcakes. If you prefer a buttercream, beat the softened butter until pale and fluffy, then gradually add the icing sugar, milk, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Pipe or spread over the completely cooled cupcakes. My husband, who's usually picky, asked for seconds when I made these with the buttercream!