HELLO KITTY SULTANA AND LEMON CUPCAKES

Makes 12 cupcakes

Perfect for any occasion, these zesty cupcakes are deliciously light and fluffy. Annabel Karmel like to use pink food colouring to make the icing but you can choose whatever colour you love best.

PREP: 15 MINS

COOK: 25 MINS

Ingredients

175g butter, softened

3 large eggs

175g caster sugar

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon

100g sultanas

Icing

100g butter, softened

1 tbsp milk

200g icing sugar

10g hot pink gel food colouring

Decoration

500g block ready to roll Royal Icing

Black icing pen

Yellow icing pen

Pink sugar paste flowers

STEP ONE Preheat the oven to 160C Fan. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.

STEP TWO Measure the butter, eggs, caster sugar, flour, baking powder and lemon zest into a large bowl.

STEP THREE Whisk together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in the sultanas.

STEP FOUR Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Bake for about 25 minutes until well risen, lightly golden and springing back. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

STEP FIVE To make the pink icing, measure the butter, milk and half of the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Whisk until fluffy, then add the remaining icing and whisk again. Add the pink food colouring and stir to combine.

STEP SIX To decorate, roll out the royal icing to 1 ½ cm thick. Stamp out 12 rounds using a 5 ½ cm round cutter. Cut out 24 small triangles to make the ears and mould them onto the face using your fingers. Roll out the face with a rolling pin to make the face a little wider.

STEP SEVEN Make the eyes, nose and whiskers using the round end of a chopstick. Fill in the eyes and whiskers with the black writing icing pen and fill in the nose using the Yellow writing icing pen. Stick a flower onto the right ear using a little of the yellow Writing Icing.

STEP EIGHT Pipe some of the pink icing over the tops of the cupcakes and place the Hello Kitty faces on top.

More recipes from Annabel Karmel here:http://www.annabelkarmel.com/gb/