Cupcakes recipe

Pink pig cupcakes-makes 12

Ingredients

• 110g butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 110g self-raising flour
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Buttercream icing

• 140g butter, softened
• 280g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• a few drops of pink food colouring

Decoration

• a handful of white chocolate chips
• 6 glacé cherries

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to oven to 180C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the cases until they are half full.
4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean.
5. For the buttercream  icing, beat the butter in a large until it becomes soft. add half the icing sugar and beat until its smooth.
6. Then add the remaining icing sugar with one tablespoon of milk, adding more milk if necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
7. Add the food colouring and mix well until combined.
8. Ensure the cakes are completely cool before icing.
9. Place a spoonful of icing onto each cake and using a knife evenly spread out.
10. Cut each glacé cherry in half and by using the white chocolate chips and cherries make a cute pigs face, with the chocolate chips as eyes and the cherries as a nose.