Sweetie-Topped Vanilla Cupcakes

20 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

100g unsalted butter, softened

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 medium egg

125g self raising flour

¼ tsp baking powder

4 tbsp milk

For the buttercream:

100g unsalted butter, softened

150g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Red and yellow food colouring

Pack of Barratt Dolly Mix

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Fan 160ºC/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tray with paper cases. (White or a mixture of pink and yellow looks good).

Put the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour and baking powder in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the milk and mix again until combined.

Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls into the cases and bake for 18-20 minutes until risen, pale golden in colour and just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until very pale. Add 1 tsp hot water and beat again until very soft. Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl. Beat a drop of red food colouring in one bowl and yellow into the other. Spread or pipe the buttercream over the cooled cakes. Place a few sweets on top of each cupcake.