Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes - Ooh La La.....!!

I love you
Ich liebe Dich
Je t'aime
S' ayapo
Ti amo
Te amo

Oh yes L-O-V-E is in the air, it’s Valentine’s Day this Saturday when Cupid that little love rascal, draws his bow, aims and fires his stream of arrows and brings amour to people around the world. On this day hopefully, loved ones will be showered with gifts by their beloved to display their affections be it with, flowers, chocolates, champagne, cards, or romantic meal just for two or even baking something special for them. I find that showing your loved one in your life you’ve baked something unique for them is very personal and romantic. It’s baked with love from your heart and this could be in the form of a heart shaped cake, cupcakes, cookies, just let your imagination take control. But do take a look in my Valentine’s section for further ideas for that special someone in your life this Valentine’s Day.

Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes - showing all the sprinkles

For Valentine’s Day this year I have started wooing my amour "Mr R" with a batch of my own “Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes”! I hope you like the name of my cupcakes? I chose Aphrodite because she is the mythological Greek Goddess of love and beauty!

Today I am sharing with you my recipe for these cupcakes, which have a gorgeous vanilla sponge with added chunks of white chocolate suspended through and with a luscious Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. The decorations are personal preference and of course opt for whatever sprinkles etc you wish – just let the love flow and bake from the heart!

Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes - Ooh La La.....!!

I am speedily posting these cupcakes that I want to share with you today before going out with my daughter this evening. I’m most looking forward to visiting all my ‘dear’ blogging friends tomorrow to view those new creations you been posting ;0)

Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes

Aphrodite’s Love Potion Cupcakes!

Makes approx 19 cupcakes

Ingredients
225g (8 oz) softened unsalted butter
225g (8 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Approx 6 tbsp milk – you may need less
225g (8 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
100g (4 oz) white chocolate chips
For The Swiss Meringue Frosting
300g (11 oz) softened unsalted butter
75g (3 oz) vegetable shortening – I use Trex
300g (11 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5 large egg whites
2 tbsp golden syrup or light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1¼ tsp vanilla extract
Edible pink food colouring paste (optional)
Decorations
Sprinkles, sugar flowers, sprinkling sugar –or own preference

You will require 2 muffin trays lined with 19 paper-cases, a sugar thermometer for the frosting recipe and a piping bag with a star shaped tip.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°f/Gas mark 4. Sift the flour and baking powder together and leave aside for later. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy in colour and texture. Add a little of the beaten egg at a time and beat in well with each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined fully into the mixture. Fold through the flour gently with a large spatula or metal spoon until fully incorporated. Add a little of the milk at a time folding through gently until you have a good dropping consistency then lastly fold through the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture with equal amounts into each muffin case then place into the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until nicely golden on top or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the trays to cool for 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

To make the Swiss Buttercream Frosting: I used a stand mixer for this – cream the butter and vegetable shortening until light and fluffy in colour and texture, but not too soft. Place the mixture into another bowl and leave aside for later. Wash the mixing bowl from the stand mixer ready for later. Place a saucepan with water onto simmer, in a heat proof bowl combine the butter, sugar, golden syrup or light corn syrup, egg whites and pinch of salt into the bowl and place on top of the simmering saucepan. Keep stirring frequently until all the sugar granules have dissolved and the temperature on the sugar thermometer reads 60°C/140°F. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment whip the egg white mixture in a clean bowl on a medium to medium high setting until the outside of the mixture bowl feels just cool enough to touch. The mixture will look white and fluffy and very thick. Add the butter mixture and vanilla and whisk again on a medium setting until the frosting is smooth, creamy and almost resembles whipped double cream. Dived the mixture equally , if using coloured frosting, into two separate bowls and add a little edible colour paste to one and stir through to make a pink frosting. Place the white icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe the tops of half the cupcake batch with the white frosting add sprinkles of choice. Wash and thoroughly dry the piping bag and nozzle and fill with the pink frosting and continue to pipe the tops of the remaining cupcakes and add sprinkles of choice. Enjoy!

Wishing you a very romantic Valentine’s Day on Saturday and may your day be filled with amour too– Rosie x

For My Valentine Cupcakes

Today is the day for romance and I wish for you a very romantic day filled with love and happiness! :) I would like to present you all on this Valentines Day a Red Rose with my love from Rosie x Please feel free to copy & post it on your Blog {if you have one).

My gift for my hubby Mr R, had to be something from my heart and baking is one thing I do with passion and it comes from within my heart. So, this is how I came up with this idea of “For My Valentine Cupcakes”.

The texture is very light and airy like Cupid himself flying through the air! The buttercream has a creaminess, which melts in your mouth to take you on a journey of delightfulness. With little decorations of red ribbon and red hearts and more hearts with rose buds in red, finalises those three words “I love you”.

For My Valentine Cupcakes

For My Valentine Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients
100g (4 oz) ground almonds
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream
3 eggs
175g (6 oz) melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
For The Buttercream icing
150g (5 oz) softened butter
225g (8 oz) sieved icing sugar
1 – 2 tbsp milk - add 1 tbsp to begin with and extra if required
For Decoration
48 Red fondant hearts – 4 for each cupcake
Red ribbon to place around the base of each cupcake case
A little sellotape to secure each ribbon at the back of the cupcakes
Sugar red hearts and rose buds on wires coated in red ribbon (optional)

You will also need 12-holed muffin tin lined with 12 paper muffin cases.

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

For the sponge, place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl making a well in the middle. In a large jug add the cream, eggs, vanilla extract and melted cooled butter, then whisk with a fork to combine the ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and carefully with a large metal spoon fold through gently until combined. (Don’t overwork the mixture or the sponge will not be as light.) The mixture will be quite runny but don’t worry this is normal. With a spatula scrap the mixture into a large jug and pour equally into each muffin paper case.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the middle of sponge feels firm to touch golden brown, and or a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 – 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

To make the buttercream icing, sieve the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add the softened butter and milk. With a wooden spoon beat the icing mixture until creamy. Place the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe the icing around the top of each cupcake, or use a spatula instead and smooth down the icing. Lastly place the decorations on top of each cupcake and also place a red ribbon around each cupcake case and secure in place with a little sellotape.

Note: you could also use curls of chocolate for decoration with the red edible hearts instead of wired hearts and rose buds.

To make the red hearts you will need a little red fondant icing and a small heart plunge cutter. Roll out the fondant thinly and cut out the heart shapes with the plunge cutter. Leave to dry a little before placing on the cake(s).

Please ensure the wired sugar hearts and rose buds are removed before eating if using for decoration. Also including the red ribbon (I wouldn’t want your Valentine to choke).

Cupid's Heart 2 Heart Cupcakes

The little cherub of love, Cupid is busy sharpening the tips of his arrows in time for the 14th February. When he aims his bow at you, I hope you will be in the arms of the one you love embracing this Valentines Day!

To mark this occasion I have put my thinking cap on again to come up with another cupcake idea to share with you. It’s a simple red sponge in keeping with the theme of Valentines and cutout fondant heart shapes. I am baking the sponges on a slightly lower heat to help maintain the bright red colour of the sponge; a higher heat would brown them slightly.

These cupcakes are simple and quick enough to recreate if you are looking for something quickly to bake for your Valentine.

If you want to try something like a heart cake or heart shaped little cupcakes etc click on my link [here], which will bring you to my other Valentine recipes.

I would like to wish you all a wonderful Romantic Valentines Day!

Cupid's Heart 2 Heart Cupcakes

Cupid's Heart 2 Heart Cupcakes

Makes approximately 24 small cupcakes or 12 larger cupcakes – depending on size of cupcake case you use.

Ingredients
For The Sponge
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
175g (6 oz) softened butter
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
5 tbsp double cream or milk – use one not both
1 tsp vanilla extract
Edible red food colour – I used Wilton gel colours
For The Apricot Glaze
! tbsp apricot jam
3 tbsp water
For The Icing
350g (12 oz) of fondant icing
Edible red & pink food colouring
Icing sugar for dusting the work surface

You will also need 24 small paper cupcakes or 12 larger cupcake paper cases. 3 different sized heart shaped cookie cutters, largest cutter to fit the top of the cupcake. 2 x 12-holed small cupcake tin or 12-holed large cupcake tin

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat well with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Mix the eggs, cream or milk and vanilla extract in a jug with a fork. Add a little at a time of the egg mixture and remain to beat well in between each addition until all the mixture is completely combined. With a tip of a teaspoon add a little at a time of the edible red food colour until you reach your desired colour of red, beating the colour through the sponge mixture thoroughly. Place the flour and baking powder in a sieve and sift this over the mixture, folding in gently with a large metal spoon until all traces of flour have gone.

Place each paper cupcake case with sponge mixture to no more than three-quarters full. Place into the preheated oven to bake for 15- 20 minutes for small cupcakes 20 – 25 minutes for the medium cupcakes. They should feel firm to a gentle touch in the middle and or when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before turning out of the tins fully onto a wire rack until cold.

For the apricot glaze, place the apricot jam and water into a saucepan and with a small whisk combine them together over a low heat on the stove. Take off the heat and leave aside to use later.

For the fondant icing, sprinkle a little icing on a work surface and roll out the icing thinly. Cut out enough white hearts with the largest heart cutter. With a little apricot glaze on a pastry brush, stick each heart down on top of each cupcake. With the fondant remaining, roll it up into a ball shape and cut a quarter off, leave aside in a plastic bag. Colour the larger fondant icing with edible pink food colouring. Roll out like before cutting enough heart shapes out with the middle sized heart cutter and stick them down also with apricot glaze over the middle of each white fondant heart. Lastly colour the fondant put aside with edible red colouring and cut out small hearts with the smallest heart cutter and stick two with the apricot glaze on top of each pink heart.

Note: you may find you have some fondant Icing left over, but it will keep placed in a plastic bag in an airtight tub then stored in a cool place. It depends again on how many cupcakes you make and /or how thickly you roll your icing. The packets of fondant icing I buy come in 500g (1 lb 2 oz) weight.

Hearts & Roses For My Valentine Cake

Yesterday I thought I’d turn my hand for the first time into making sugarpaste flowers. With Valentines Day looming near I can think of no better flower to make than red roses. Of course I needed a cake to place them on after they’d dried out, so this is how my Hearts & Roses For My Valentine Cake came about. I am sure as time goes by hopefully my skills will improve and become quicker when making sugarpaste flowers. The little hearts were cut out from small heart shaped plunger cutters, which made this task very simple without much effort needed.

If you are looking for a valentine’s cake to bake for your loved one this is a simple but I think stylish Valentine’s cake.

Hearts & Roses For My Valentine Cake

Ingredients
For The Sponge
225g (8 oz) self –raising flour, sieved
225g (8 oz) softened butter
225g (8 oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
For The Filling
Raspberry conserve, enough to sandwich the sponges together
To Stick The Icing To The Cake
1 tbsp apricot jam
3 tbsp water
For The Icing
500g (1lb 2 oz) fondant icing
Edible red food colouring paste – I use sugarflare
A little icing sugar, for rolling out the fondant icing
For The Royal Icing
100g (4 oz) sieved icing sugar
1 egg white
Few drops of lemon juice
Edible red food colouring paste - I use sugarflare

You will also need sugar roses or fresh roses, small heart cutters, a large silicone heart mould, piping bag with a small star tip nozzle, 25.5cm (10 in) cake board.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add and egg one at a time beating well in until all incorporated, add the vanilla extract, milk and beat in. Now add the sieved flour and fold through gently with a large metal spoon until fully mixed through.

You may have to bake the sponge in two batches if you only have one silicone heart mould – like I do. Place half the mixture into the heart mould and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 – 25 minutes or until full baked and feels springy to the touch in the middle. You can also test by inserting a skewer into the middle of the sponge and if it comes out clean its ready. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully and bake and cool the second sponge the same way if you need to.

Take the bottom sponge and spread with raspberry conserve and place the second sponge on top. Place onto the cake board.

In a saucepan on a gentle heat warm the apricot jam and water together, then brush all over the cake.

Sprinkle a work surface with a little icing sugar and roll out the fondant icing large enough to cover the cake. Easy the fondant over the cake and smooth out with your hands and cut off the overhang and save for making the small hearts.

For the royal icing, add the sieved icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice and mix to a stiff piping consistency, add a little more sifted icing if necessary. Fill the piping bag and pipe all around the base edge of the heart. Colour a little icing with edible food colouring and pipe little dots of red icing over the white.

With the remaining fondant icing left aside from cutting off the overhang colour with edible red food colouring. Cut out small fondant hearts and with a little white royal icing stick them in place all around the centre edge of the cake. Place the red roses to one side of the heart on top of the cake and with a little royal icing and a few red fondant heats place around the outside of the flowers.

Note: You could bake this sponge cake in a 20cm (8 in) cake tin but adjust the baking time. Cut the sponge into a heart shape cut through the middle then spread on the raspberry conserve.

I am entering my Hearts & Roses For My Valentine Cake into “A heart For Your Valentine” and to view for “The Round Up” on this [Link}

L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

I’m entering my L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s) to A Heart For Your Valentine should you wish to submit your own entry of a homemade "edible heart" click on the link above.

For the round-up and to view many beautiful creations you will find the [link here] please do go and take a peek of all those wonderful "edible heart's".

L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

I brought a mini heart shaped silicone 8 holed mould on my last visit to Lakeland Store. I had been contemplating what sort of sponge cake to make using this. Then I thought chocolate being the obvious for valentine hearts with a hidden center of chocolate for that little extra pleasure in life!! The topping could have been a chocolate ganache but I opted this time for buttercream with pretty sugar sprinkles and sugar dragees, must be the girly side in me *giggle*.

One bite my friends and you’ll be in raptures of sheer indulgence of wickedness do you dare to bake some for yourself I ask *grinning from ear to ear*!?!

L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

Makes 10 heart shaped little cakes

Ingredients
For The Sponge
100g (4 oz) butter, softened
100g (4 oz) soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
2 large eggs
75g (3 oz) self –raising flour
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder, use a good quality one
10 squares of milk chocolate
For The Butter Icing
50g (2 oz) butter, softened
100g (4 oz) sieved icing sugar
Few drops of milk
For Decoration
Sugar sprinkles of choice like heart shapes, stars, pink & silver sugar balls


You will need a heart shaped mini cake tin or muffin cases if making them into cupcakes. Piping bag and star tip nozzle for the icing

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/Fan 160°/350°F/gas mark 4.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Next add the soft brown sugar and beat until all combine. Add one egg at a time beating in well each time, then add the vanilla extract and beat in. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder and add this to the mixture folding in with a large metal spoon until all traces of flour have gone.

Place a teaspoonful of mixture into the bottom of each heart shape in the mini heart tin. Take a square of chocolate and place one on top of each heart mixture, then place another teaspoonful of the sponge mixture on top of each heart covering the square of chocolate. Making sure the mixture is no more than three-quarters full or the sponge will overflow when baking.

Place into the oven to bake for 20 –25 minutes or until firm to touch in the middle or a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

Leave to cool for 5 –10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to fully cool.

To make the buttercream, add the soft butter into a large mixing bowl with the sieved icing sugar, gradually work the butter through the icing sugar adding a few drops of milk until the buttercream is pale and creamy. Place into a piping bag and pipe little stars around the top of the heart cakes. Finally, sprinkle over your choice of sugar sprinkles.

Trio Tart of Pears, Chocolate & Cinnamon

Cooling from just coming out of the oven

I didn’t intend on making another chocolate bake so soon but I couldn’t let a Challenge slip by especially when chocolate is involved!

On the Cooks Journal Forum, there’s a TCJ Challenge for using 3 ingredients and for this month it’s pear, chocolate & cinnamon. The rules are that you must make a dish that incorporates ALL 3 ingredients. You can make a starter, main, dessert, pudding, cocktail. Entries must be submitted by the 1st February. You don’t need your own blog to join in with this challenge.

I toyed with ideas what I could submit for this challenge. It wasn’t until I ventured into the kitchen that creativeness was taken over in making my Trio Tart of Pears, Chocolate & Cinnamon. The base is sweet short-crust pastry with a hint of cinnamon combining a layer of sliced pears and a mousse chocolate filling with heart shaped pastry cut-outs. Of course I had to sample a slice, my spoon slid into silky smooth mousse and tender pear slices and crisp pastry! All I can say it was supreme pleasure on a spoon!

Showing a slice of the tart

Trio Tart of Pears, Chocolate & Cinnamon

Serves 8

Ingredients
For The Sweet Short-crust Pastry
175g (6 oz) plain flour
75g (3 oz) cold butter
Pinch of salt
25g (1 oz) caster sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg yolk
You may need a little iced water
For The Fruit Filling
411g can of pears, drained and sliced
For The Chocolate Filling
5 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
200g (8 oz) Green & Blacks Butterscotch chocolate
275ml (½ pint) double cream
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg

You will need a 23cm (9 in) fluted bottomed flan tin, greased with a little butter. A baking tray to place the flan tin on, non-stick baking paper and baking beans for baking the flan pastry case blind.

Method

For The Sweet Short-Crust Pastry, sieve the flour, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl then add the cold butter cut into cubes. Rub through with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs then add the sugar and gently work through. Add the egg yolk and with a rounded knife bring the mixture together, you may need to add a little drizzle of iced water to form into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry in a circle large enough to fit the flan tin. Roll the pastry up onto your rolling pin carefully and unroll onto the flan tin. Easing the sides of the pastry in to fit. Roll over the top the top of the flan tin with your rolling pin, which will leave a straight edge. Take the scrapes of pastry for cut outs for the top and place aside for later. Place the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6

Now the pastry has chilled, place the flan tin onto a baking tray and lightly prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Take a large circle of non-stick baking paper and place this into the flan tin on top of the pastry, then add the baking beans on top. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. The pastry will not be fully cooked through at this stage. Remove the paper and baking beans.

Whilst the pastry is blind baking start on the filling, you will need a large heatproof bowl to sit over the top of a saucepan filled with a little water barley simmering to melt the chocolate. The bowl must not touch the water. Place the chocolate in broken up pieces into the bowl to melt; it may take up to 10 minutes to melt fully, then leave aside to cool a little. In a large mixing bowl add the egg yolks and sugar whisking them together a little. Next add the cream to the egg and sugar mixture also whisking this through. Lastly add the cinnamon and grated nutmeg and chocolate whisking through until all combined.

Lower the oven temperature 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Fully layer the pastry base with the drained sliced pears and pour over the chocolate filling. Place the cut out shapes of pastry gently on top of the filling. Place into the lower temperature oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the chocolate filling is set in the middle.

Leave to cool in the flan tin until fully cold before removing onto a plate and cutting into slices. If you place this tart into the fridge to keep for a day, bring out 30 minutes before serving to come up to room temperature.

Love Is In The Air Heart Cupcakes

Love Is In The Air Heart Cupcakes

Love is definitely in the air if you recreate my heart cupcakes to serve a loved one. I am sure these cupcakes would be perfect for Saint Valentines Day or any other special romantic occasion! Do you love someone enough to give them your last cupcake? *Giggle*.

My cupcakes consist of a chocolate sponge base with a filling of cherry brandied cherries, buttercream icing, piped around the edge with a sponge cut out heart for a lid and the grand finale, chocolate hearts and sprinkles, this is pure temptation in a cupcake!

Tip: Look out for miniature bottles of liqueurs for recipes, it saves buying in larger bottles if you don’t intend using them very often.

Close up shot of cupcake

Love Is In The Air Heart Cupcakes

Makes 12 medium sized cupcakes

Ingredients
For The Chocolate Sponge
175g (6 oz) soft butter
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
For The Cherry Brandied Filling
425g (15 oz) can of pitted black cherries in fruit juice
1 tbsp cherry brandy
1 tsp cornflour
For The Buttercream Icing
50g (2 oz) soft butter
100g (4 oz) icing sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
For The Chocolate Hearts
100g (4 oz) white chocolate
Few drops of edible pink food colouring
For Decoration
Pink sugar sprinkles (optional)
Pink sugar balls (optional)

You will also need 12-cupcake tin fitted with 12 cupcake cases of your choice, piping bag fitted with a small icing nozzle and non-stick baking paper and a small heart shaped cookie cutter or heart shaped template.

Method

Starting with the chocolate hearts, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over the top of a saucepan filled with a little water barley simmering. The bowl must not touch the water, it make take up to 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt. Take off the heat to cool slightly then add a few drops of edible pink food colouring, stirring in with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small icing nozzle and pipe 24 heart shapes onto the non-stick baking paper leave to fully set. You can make these the day before if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

To make the chocolate sponge, in a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time beating in well with each addition and then beat in the vanilla extract. In sieve above the mixture in the bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder. With a large metal spoon carefully fold in the flour mixture until fully combined. Spoon the sponge mixture into the cupcakes filling no more than three-quarters full. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 –20 minutes or until fully cooked and skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the cupcake tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to completely cool.

For the cherry brandied cherries, strain the juice from the cherries and place the juice into a saucepan. Mix the cornflour with a little of the juice from the saucepan and leave aside. Place the saucepan onto the stove and bring to boil and keep boiling for about 5 - 10 minutes to reduce the juice. Stirring with a wooden spoon add the cornflour mix to thicken the cherry juice and cook through for a minute or two. Take off the heat and add the cherry brandy and leave the cherry mixture to fully cool.

Next make the buttercream icing, in a mixing bowl add the soft butter and give it a good beat with a wooden spoon. Sieve the icing sugar and add to the butter beating in well until light and fluffy. Then add the milk and vanilla extract again beating in well making a creamy butter icing. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave aside.

To assemble the heart cupcakes, with a heart shaped cutter or template, cut out the middle of each cupcake, leaving the heart shaped sponges aside for the lids. Spoon in the cherry brandied cherries into the centre of each cupcake; any juice will soak into the sponge giving it a wonderful flavour! Next fill the piping bag with a small icing nozzle, on each cupcake pipe around the edge of the cherries into heart shapes. Sprinkle over the pink sugar strands and pink sugar balls if using. Pipe a little buttercream onto the top edge of the sponge lids from cutting out the heart shapes. Place the lids onto an angle to show the fruit and sprinkles. To finish off, carefully peel off the chocolate hearts from the non-stick paper and stick a chocolate heart each side of each cupcake. Voila you have your “Love Is In The Air Heart Cupcakes”.