Magdalenas: Spanish Cupcakes

Yesterday, I stopped by Despana in Soho for a late lunch and had a Magdalena which is a Spanish tea cake. It is a delicious lemon pound cake made with olive oil instead of butter. The woman who works told me that there is anise in the cake which gives a little spice. There's no frosting but a dusting of sugar on top. If I were to make them, I would add a nutella buttercream frosting with a little lemon peel.

I found some recipes for Magdalena Cupcakes:

Magdalena recipe with unsalted butter instead of olive oil
Orange Saffron variation