Red Nose Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C/gas mark 3).  Line a cup cake tin with cup cake cases.

Make sure your butter is nice and soft to start with so it is easy to beat. Add the caster sugar to the butter and using a wooden spoon (or even easier, use an electric hand held whisk or kitchen mixer), beat the butter and sugar until it is really smooth and creamy.

Beat the eggs together lightly with a fork, then add a drop at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating really well until the mixture is emulsified, before adding the next bit of egg. If the mixture starts to curdle, just beat in a tablespoon of the flour and continue.

Using a large metal spoon fold in the vanilla extract, milk and flour, lifting the mixture in a figure of eight to scoop up the flour and fold it in. Do this as lightly as you can to keep all the air in your mixture.

Using a dessert spoon, place a rounded spoonful in each cake case. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, but check after 15 minutes. The cakes should be evenly browned, and just feel firm and springy when you touch them in the centre.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.

To make the buttercream, beat together the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract until it becomes a smooth texture. Either pipe or smooth on to the top of the cupcake.

To decorate, roll out the red sugar paste icing and using a circular cutter press out 12 circles (one for each cupcake) Then roll out 12 small circular balls for the noses. Secure these on to the centre of the circle using a light brushing of water.

To make the eyes, roll out white sugar paste icing in to small balls and flatten gently between your thumb and finger. Secure these above the nose and make the black dots either using a edible decorating pen or writing icing.

Finally for the smile, roll a small sausage shape of black sugar paste icing for each face and secure onto the red circle with water, curving slightly to make the expression.

Place the red sugar paste circle carefully on top of the buttercream on your cupcake. This will set in place once the buttercream hardens.