Queen's Cakes - Recipe #2

Queen's Cakes are defined as small, light and rich cakes studded with dried fruit.

I found this recipe in Susanna Tee's: 1001 cupcakes, cookies & other tempting treats cookbook. The recipe is fairly simple and I whipped it up within ten minutes. I researched Queen's cake recipes and this varies from other recipes as it calls for fresh lemon juice over the use of lemon and orange extract. I switched it up a bit and added fresh juice as it calls for and added the zest of one lemon. The recipe also calls for raisins, I used golden because that's what I had on hand and honestly I think golden suits a Queen's cake over the traditional purple raisin. As the definition states this cake is studded with dried fruit; you could make this with any dried fruit. I had actually contemplated using cranberries but I also stumbled upon a recipe that called for currants, I believe those little jewels would have a better fusion of flavors with the fresh lemon. These cakes would be perfect for an afternoon tea, bridal shower or luncheon with a tad of lemon curd, softened butter or a simple glaze.