Cherry swirl cupcakes

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole bun tray with cupcake cases (not fairy cake or muffin cases). Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. It's important to measure the baking powder accurately – use a measuring spoon and run your finger across the top to ensure that it's level.

Make sure the butter is soft (a bit like mayonnaise) but not melted. Add the butter, sugar and eggs to the flour.

Add a good handful of quartered glacé cherries and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat again for 1 minute.

Put the mixture in the paper cases, making sure they're all about the same size. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream by beating the unsalted butter until creamy, and then add the icing sugar 1 rounded tbsp at a time. Add the vanilla extract and milk and beat well until the icing is creamy.

Add a tiny blob of red food colouring to the buttercream and beat until the icing is pink. Use a clean cocktail stick to add a little more colouring if necessary. Put the icing in a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe it onto the cakes. Or, spread it with a knife.

Decorate with glace cherries.