Cupcake wedding cake

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F, gas mark 6). Line 2 x 12-hole muffin tray with the paper cases of your choice.

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Beat together, preferably with an electric whisk until the mixture is wonderfully light and fluffy. This can take up to 5-7 minutes, so this stage should not be rushed.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, with a spoonful of the flour with each one to prevent the mixture from curdling. Fold in the remaining flour with a metal spoon until you have a soft, smooth cake batter.

Divide the mixture between the paper cases filling only to half the height. Place in the oven and bake in the oven for about 12 – 15 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a finger and are pale golden in colour.

Cool the cakes on a wire cooling rack. Wrap in cling film to keep for up to a day in a cool dry place. If you want to make the cupcakes in advance – wrap and freeze.

To decorate the cup cakes with fondant icing mix together the fondant icing sugar and water, adding the water a teaspoon at a time until the icing has a smooth consistency that will cover the back of spoon. Divide the icing into small bowls and colour each using a few drops of food colouring, the colour of your choice.

Brush the cupcakes with a little melted apricot jam. Spoon a little icing onto each cupcake and turn them allowing the icing to flow gently to the edge of the cup cakes. Let the icing set firmly before decorating with fondant cut outs or piping.

To decorate with buttercream, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and mix together until creamy and smooth. Add more milk, if necessary, to loosen the icing. Colour the buttercream by adding a few drops of the food colouring of your choice.

To pipe swirls on cupcakes, use a large star or plain nozzle, hold the bag vertically and pipe a ring of icing around the edge of the cupcake. Pipe a small spiral overlapping the ring, stop pressure when the bag is in the center of the swirl, then push the bag down and draw up sharply to finish the peak.

To make sugar paste decorations add a few drops food colouring to white sugar paste, by dipping a wooden skewer into the food colouring and piercing the icing all over.  Knead until you get a nice even colour. You may need to wear food safe gloves to avoid staining your hands.

Lightly dust a surface with icing sugar and roll the coloured icing and cut shapes such as hearts, flowers or butterflies and leave to set.