Crafty Cupcakes by Ann Pickard

I know you shouldn't describe the contents of a book as cute but I am going to say it anyway, the decorated sugarpaste cupcakes are very cute. There are 30 cupcake projects including a smiley snake, bunny rabbit, cute dog, new baby and wedding cupcakes.

The author shares with us her knowledge to make fabulous sugarpaste novelty models in ten easy steps, with photographs to accompany each stage. There are also recipes for making cupcakes, buttercream and royal icing. For each cupcake project there is a materials list and reference to techniques, templates, equipment, ingredients and stockists.

This is an inspirational book for beginners and those of us who would like to achieve professional looking cupcakes with the wow factor.

Crafty Cupcakes is written by the very talented Ann Pickard who qualified as a baker and cake decorator in 1983, and opened her own shop The Icing Centre, in 1986. Ann runs a successful cake decorating business in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset and has written two other books for GMC publications, Cake Characters and Cakes for Occasions.

ISBN 9781861088536
Price: £9.99
Publisher: GMC
Publication Date: March 2012
Available from Amazon

Thank you GMC for the review copy.

Review - The Silver Spoon: The New Edition

A small slice of The Silver Spoon.

Cake with Orange Icing taken from the chapter Dessert Cakes caught my attention, with an easy to follow recipe. The sponge has a moist soft crumb and although I made more icing than specified in the recipe, I felt the liquid measurement was too generous and not enough icing sugar. True to say I didn't make the icing to the recipe, and perhaps next time I make this, I will stay with the recipe!

I was delighted when asked to review the above book - memories of a magnificent display showcasing Phaidon Press in a department store at Westfield Shopping Centre London, came flooding back.

The revised edition has a fabulous new red cover and is the heaviest cookery book I have come across. In total there are 1,504 pages, 400 colour photographs, over 2,000 recipes, and chapters including First Courses, Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Desserts and Baking, just to name a few. Italy's best-selling cookery bible, The Silver Spoon, was first published in English in 2005 by celebrated publishers Phaidon Press, has sold over one million copies worldwide and is also the most successful Italian cookbook of all time. There are chef endorsements from Giorgio Locatelli to Gennaro Contaldo and praise from leading UK newspapers and magazines.

The book promises to set alight the nation's taste buds for authentic, home-cooked Italian food and is fully revised and updated for modern kitchens. The Silver Spoon is the definitive book on Italian cooking and stands alongside other culinary classics such as The Joy of Cooking and Larousse Gastronomique.

Most of the recipes are traditional and regional Italian dishes, whist others are more contemporary additions. For the English edition, the ingredients and cooking times of some recipes were updated in the light of changing tastes and lifestyles. Others have been left virtually untouched to retain their unique characteristics.

The Silver Spoon offers the opportunity to make Italian gastronomy part of your life, whether you are cooking simple family dishes or something for a special celebration.






Eating is a serious matter in Italy and as soon as the temperature falls, everyone is ready for a warming plate of Braised Beef with Barola, which is the recipe I chose to make. The beef topside was placed in a Barola, vegetable and herb marinade for 7 hours, browned all over and cooked on the hob until tender. I kept some of the cooked marinade vegetables back and pureed the remainder with the cooking liquid to make a sauce. A straightforward recipe, easy to make, a photograph to accompany the recipe and a great one pot dish.

A section in the book includes 23 Silver Spoon Celebrated International Guest chefs from around the world and their menus, including contributions from Theo Randall, Ruth Rogers and Georgio Locatelli here in the UK, Paolo Lopriore (Italy), Mario Batali (United States) and Robert Marchetti (Australia).

How did I fair in a domestic kitchen, located on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border and where to begin with a book such as this! My overall experience using the book was excellent, although to date I have only cooked two of the recipes, this is a very exciting book for lovers of Italian cuisine (and this includes me). The recipe selection is from easy, to recipes for the keen cook and gourmet. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book for a beginner because it assumes a level of cooking ability and confidence. Interestingly, I always presumed this book would be beyond my capabilities and now after studying the book, albeit over the last two weeks, it has proven me wrong.

More photographs have been added to this revised edition, but a photograph speaks a thousand words and even more photographs would be appreciated. To do justice to The Silver Spoon, I will revisit this again next year and make a few recipes, post them on the blog and give an account of how I get on.

Hopefully, the Fresh Pasta Chapter will encourage me to dust off my pasta machine, there are so many delicious recipes....maybe, next year!

Thank you to Phaidon Press and Lucy for the review copy.

Review: Where Women Cook Celebrate!

This book brings together 28 top food bloggers, chefs and cookbook authors. They share over 60 recipes with tips for making everyday celebrations special.

Where Women Cook Celebrate! gives us the stories, the food, the reasons, and the celebrated times of extraordinary women. Every meal they make and share is a celebration, and each photo-rich profile offers a peek into their cooking environment and favourite recipes, whether it's a holiday party or a family dinner.

I've been food blogging for a number of years now and it is fascinating to meet through this book Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), Molly Wizenberg (Orangette), Angie Dudley (Bakerella), Serena Thompson (The Farm Chicks) and Helene Dujardin (Tartelette) whose blog I follow.

The Cake Pop Party - Celebrating the Creative Spirit on a Stick!

Helene's (Tartelette) party is a simple gathering with friends at her home.

Molly Wizenberg (Orangette) - Molly started her food blog in 2004.

Where Women Cook Celebrate! ISBN 9871600598982
£16.99 - Publication Date November 2011
Author Jo Packham & The Publishers of Somerset Studio
Publisher Lark
Available from www.thegmcgroup.com

Review: MasterChef Kitchen Bible and a Recipe Goat's Cheese and Red Onion Tart

The recipes in the MasterChef Kitchen Bible are from easy to advanced, and this is a book brimming with achievable recipes in both the Modern Classics section and Favourite Recipes from the MasterChef Series. There is a wealth of information regarding ingredients, hints, tips, technical know-how and excellent step-by-step photographs with detailed instructions.


A record audience of 9 million viewers tuned into the final of the latest series of the popular MasterChef final on BBC television and the MasterChef Kitchen Bible is the ultimate cooking companion to help you become an expert in your home.

The first section of the book takes us through a collection of 100 Modern Classics all good cooks should know, with a photograph to accompany the majority of the recipes. Recipes include eggs Benedict and smoked haddock risotto, to lemon tart and indulgent red velvet cupcakes.

The following section gives 30 Recipes from the MasterChef Series including a recipe from the MasterChef 2010 Champion Dhruv Baker - Spiced Battered Fish and Chips, Exploding Lemon Macaroons by Tim Kinnaird Finalist 2010, White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry and Elderflower Jelly by Claire Lara - Professionals Champion 2010. Fellow food blogger, Celebrity Finalist 2009 Wendi Peters Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe will be adored by fans of 'proper puddings'.

Baked Lime Cheesecake with Rum Cream - Dennice Russell Semi-finalist 2009.

MasterChef Know-How - a section recommending essential tools, 150 MasterChef skills classes, and essential information on buying, storing, preparing and cooking a range of key ingredients. There are recommendations for buying the best knives, pots and pans, and additional equipment must haves. Clear step-by-step instructions showing everything from boning a flat fish to making hollandaise sauce.

GOAT'S CHEESE AND RED ONION TART - Lisa Faulkner Celebrity Champion 2010.

For the Pastry: Small sprig thyme, 100g plain flour, 25g butter, 25g lard.
For the Red Onion Jam: 25g butter, 25g soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1-2 tbsp cassis, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 finely sliced red onions.
For the Goat's Cheese: 175g crumbly Goat's cheese, 1 egg yolk, 1-2 tbsp double cream.
For the Salad: handful of rocket leaves, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice.

Serves: 4

1. To make the pastry, strip the thyme leaves into a food processor and add the flour, butter, and lard. Mix on the pulse setting to form crumbs. Gradually add enough water (about 2-3 tbsp) to form a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
2. To make the onion jam, melt the butter in a saute pan and add the sugar, vinegar, cassis, and some seasoning. Add the onions, bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, over a very low heat for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C(400°F/Gas6). Place a sturdy baking sheet in the oven. Divide the pastry into quarters, then roll them out, and use to line four 10cm loose-bottomed
tart tins. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Place on the heated baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and lining paper and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
4. Trim away any rind on the goat's cheese and crumble the cheese into a bowl. Mix with the egg yolk and a splash of cream. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Reserve about a third of the red onion jam to use as garnish, then divide the rest between the tartlets and spoon the goat's cheese mixture on top. Return to the oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the tops are bubbling and tinged with brown.
6. For the salad, rinse the rocket leaves and pat dry. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice into a bowl, and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add the rocket leaves and toss gently to coat.
7. To serve, place a spoonful of red onion jam on the centre of each plate. Carefully remove the tarts from their tins and sit them on top of the jam. Top with rocket salad and serve.

MasterChef Kitchen Bible Dorling Kindersley £26.

Thank you Sophia for the wonderful book.

DK have just launched their first cookery App: Quick Cook for iPad. The app is based on DK bestselling Cook Express book, which makes choosing recipes, planning menus, shopping for food and the cooking itself, fast, fun and hassle-free. The DK Quick Cook App has over 500 illustrated recipes and is the perfect addition for any cook, helping you to prepare fresh, simple meals with minimal time and effort required.

The DK Quick Cook App is available for £3.99 from the App Store on iPad or from iTunes.

Cottage Pie and Review: Hungry? a book by innocent

innocent's new family recipe book, Hungry? is so much more than a recipe book, it is also a guide to healthy, tasty and quick meals for everyone.


I made the cottage pie which is bursting at the seams with meaty and vegetable goodness. The pie uses minced beef, tinned tomatoes, leeks, carrots, celery and parsnips, the 'cottage' is mashed sweet potato, carrots and potatoes.

There are over 100 delicious, simple, healthy recipes ranging from a 2-minute breakfast to a proper Sunday lunch. The aim of the book is to help you fill your family with good stuff, getting everyone involved in helping to make and prepare meals and to also enjoy mealtimes together.

There is the Good Egg Test - you may be surprised by the results!


Do you by any chance have a British Robot in your home? If so, you will definitely need the recipe for Robot Food!

innocent are best known for their drinks range and there is a whole chapter dedicated to 'Good Things to Drink'. Drinks for when you are feeling Whingy? Poorly? Slept In? Sleepy? Sneaky? Nippy Out? Healthy Milkshakes and Junior Booze (in an innocent way!).

A chapter containing Good Things to Make and Bake includes everything from useful tips from a master baker, tomato and thyme foccacia, sticky toffee pudding, to making ice lollies.

There are a wealth of hints and tips, ideas for things to do, fabulous photographs and illustrations, and the book has an amazing 352 pages.

Thank you to everyone at Fruit Towers for the lovely book.

THE BIG KNIT - Making Winter Warmer for Older People - 16-30th November

Every November for the past 8 years, millions of innocent smoothie bottles have donned little woolly hats to raise money for The Big Knit, and help keep older people warm in winter with our friends at Age UK.

This November the hats are back again - and they're more A-list than ever before!

The behatted bottles will be sold in Sainsbury's and Boots this November and for every behatted bottle sold, Innocent will donate 25p to Age UK.

Raspberry Nectarine Fruit-Tinis and a Book Review: Desserts 4 Today

It's no secret just how much I love dessert and often the best desserts are made at home. This book will keep me busy for sometime to come and offers a wealth of desserts.





A very noticeable theme throughout the book are the wonderful recipe titles Gingered Blackberry-Limoncello Sundaes, Creamy Cran-Raspberry Sherbert, Maple Sugar Tile Cookies, Mini Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecakes.





The book is written by Abigail Johnson Dodge a former pastry chef. There are 125 easy to follow recipes, and chapters on cookies, creamy desserts, frozen desserts and pastry desserts. There is an ingredients, techniques and add-on section at the back of the book, giving ideas and recipes for toppings, sauces and flavoured cream.



The Prosecco was very lively and nearly went over the top of the glass!





Raspberry Nectarine Fruit-Tinis



Serves: 4



You will need: 4 large wineglasses



2 ripe nectarines, 340g or 12 ounces raspberries, 1½ tsp finely grated orange zest, ½ bottle chilled Prosecco



1. Coarsely chop the nectarines. Put the nectarines, raspberries and orange zest in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine. Spoon into the glasses, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to four hours.

2. To serve, pour chilled Prosecco over the fruit and serve immediately.



Reader Offer: Please Note - American cup measurements are used throughout this book.



Title: Desserts 4 Today

Author: Abigail Johnson Dodge

ISBN No: 9781600852947

Publisher: Taunton

Publication Date: 10 November 2010

RRP £12.99 - Reader offer price £10.39 plus p&p

To order call 01273 488005 or go to

www.thegmcgroup.com and quote code: R2784

Closing Date: 31 August 2011



Thank you Jo for the review copy.

Long Clawson Dairy - Cooking Creatively With Cheese

Cooking Creatively With Cheese has been published to celebrate Long Clawson Dairies centenary year.

The dairy, which celebrates 100 years in 2011, has worked alongside Michelin starred chef, Tom Aikens, to compile a cheese recipe bible, packed with scrumptious recipes celebrating the cheeses the world famous dairy produces.


The book takes you through the decades, starting from 1910s. It uncovers Long Clawson Dairies history piece by piece in each chapter, whilst also offering a delicious selection of cheesy recipes typical of each decade, including Bread and Butter Pudding, Broccoli & Stilton Soup and Shepherds Pie, with each dish photographed exclusively for the book.

The collaboration with Tom Aikens, who created ten new recipes for the book, came about through his love of British products and cheese in particular, Tom Aikens said 'It's been a passion of mine since I can remember, so it comes as no surprise that cheese is a regular feature in the menus of my restaurants and my recipes'.

Janice Breedon, Marketing Manager at Long Clawson Dairy, said: 'We're delighted with the book. I can't think of a better way to celebrate 100 years than to share the Long Clawson recipe collection alongside Tom's creations. We really want to inspire people and show them how versatile our cheese is - and there are 45 different recipes in the book to help do this'.

Leek and Bacon Risotto


There is a 'Did You Know' on each recipe page with fascinating facts -
Did You Know: It takes 78 litres of milk to make one whole Blue Stilton Cheese(8kg).
Did You Know: Stilton must always be made with full fat pasteurised milk and made into a cylindrical shape.

More fascinating facts:
Long Clawson Dairy is the largest producer of Stilton Cheese in the UK.

In the 18th century cheese was procured by a Mrs Paulet, a farmer's wife living near Melton Mowbray for the Bell Inn Stilton (in Cambridgeshire) where her brother-in-law, Cooper Thornhill was the landlord and that's how the cheese came to be known as Stilton. Coach travellers on the Great North Road got a taste for the blue veined cheese and its fame spread as Stilton Cheese.

Blue Stilton can only be made out of milk from Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in strictly specified ways by the traditional dairies including Long Clawson.

I was thrilled to be sent this book as I originally came from the area, and Long Clawson Dairy is a name I grew up with. I am still a regular visitor to the area and I found this book of recipes, photographs and social history a fascinating read.

The book can be bought from Amazon.

Thank you Katie.

Leon Book 2 - Naturally Fast Food

Leon are healthy eating fast food restaurants based in London. They have an array of awards, and a loyal following of clientele who appreciate food which is naturally full of flavour, goodness, tastes good and does you good too.

My son lives in London and always enthuses how, just by stepping over the Leon threshold he feels healthier, and describes Leon food as happy food.

With such encouraging words from my son, I purchased the first Leon Cookbook written by Allegra McEvedy, and my copy is now definitely well thumbed.

The second cookbook, Leon Book 2 Naturally Fast Food, is written by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent. This is a quirky cookery book resembling a personal scrapbook.

The book is written in two parts. The first section is Fast Food, recipes that can easily be made in 20 minutes, including Saturday Pancakes, Jossy's Mystery Soup and Hattie's Sweet Onion Frittata.

I thought there was a printing error when I came to Page 192 for Upside-Down Apple & Cardamom Tart, but to my delight they had printed the recipe and photographs upside down! As a dessert lover I just couldn't resist making this recipe.


Another recipe from Fast Food is Coconut Chicken and Petit Pois Curry - a delicious curry made with coconut milk, tikka paste and nigella seeds. Great for a midweek meal and ready in no time at all.


The second section is Slow Fast Food, dishes to be made in advance and then reheated. I love the thoughts of Henry's 18-Hour Beef, Benny's Slow-Cooked Lamb or Bruno's Osso Bucco.

Also, there are sections devoted to preserving, ice creams, cocktails, 70's party food, just to name a few.


Don't forget to check out the back of the book too, there is a page called Drawers of Wishes - 'There is a chest in the Leon at Ludgate Circus with many drawers. No one knows quite how it started, but over the years it has filled up with the wishes of people who eat with us'.

Thank you to Fiona at Octopus Books for the review copy of Leon Book 2 Naturally Fast Food.

Review - Cook up a Feast, Mary Berry and Lucy Young

When asked if I would like to review a copy of Cook up a Feast, I just knew this book would be perfect for me.

I have followed Mary Berry for more years than I care to remember! Mary is regularly on our television screens, has written countless cookery books and is also an Aga specialist.

Lucy Young has worked with Mary for 20 years. Lucy is a cookery writer, gives Aga demonstrations, makes television appearances and writes a regular magazine column.

Mary and Lucy have now written a cookery book together, to serve larger numbers, after numerous requests from readers of their books and members of the audience at their Aga demonstrations. Many of the recipes are for 6 to 12 people, and some of the recipes will serve up to 48. The book gives information for cooking either in the Aga or conventional oven. Advice is also given for preparing ahead and freezing (a Mary Berry trademark!).

There are chapters on party bites, starters, special main courses, pot luck party, buffets, bowl parties, Italian food, summer in the garden, desserts and tea for a crowd.

A wealth of useful information for preparing a feast, planning the occasion, serving the right amount, kitchen knowhow, the right equipment, setting the scene, cheats and shortcuts and on the day. Everything you need to know, to help take away the stress, when cooking for a number of people.

The book has over 300 pages of exciting recipes to suit all cooking abilities, from the novice through to the more experienced cook. A taster of some of the recipes from the book - Crostini with slow roasted tomatoes and herbs, Bruschette with Reblochon and roasted vegetables, Celebratory fish platter, Boursin-stuffed chicken with garlic and mint sauce, Marinated marmalade and whisky lamb fillet, Mushrooms and spinach en croute, Rhubarb and lemon pots, Magenta fruit compote with white chocolate sauce, Party pavlova pyramid - just to name a few!

You shouldn't have to worry about making any of the recipes from this book, because from experience, I have always found Mary Berry and Lucy Young recipes work because they are thoroughly tested.



From the book I made Hazelnut meringue roulade with raspberries to serve 8-10 (oops in this case it fed 2 people over a couple of days!). The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The roulade can be prepared and made up to 12 hours ahead and can also be frozen. A perfect dessert, light and luscious. If you, like me, grow your own raspberries, the roulade will taste even better.


Fillet steak with a creamy mushroom sauce to serve 6. There was just the two of us and I scaled the recipe down very easily. Again, the instructions were clear and concise and it was easy to produce a wonderful meal. This recipe too has instructions for preparing ahead. I made the Cheese-topped dauphinois potatoes to go alongside the steak and these were delicious. In my freezer I now have some potato dauphinois for a rainy day.


Chicken tikka masala served with plain boiled rice and naan bread. The recipe is to serve 6 people, I made the full quantity and put half the cooked masala in the freezer for another day. This recipe uses chicken thighs but I am afraid I used breast because I am not a fan of chicken thighs - I know, I know!

Thank you Gemma.

Julie & Julia

I was asked if I would like to receive a copy of the Julie & Julia DVD prior to it's release in the UK - would I?

The film kept my attention all the way through and I just loved, loved, loved it! I am not a film critic and so I can quite rightly get away with saying - I just loved it!

The DVD comes with a scaled down version of the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and very generously gives us thirty recipes, many of these you can see Julie cooking in the film.

Julia is played by the legendary Meryl Streep who characterises the part of Julia perfectly. Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams.

The film goes back in time from the moment Julia Childs and her husband arrive in Paris in the 1940s, taking us through her time at Le Cordon Bleu to writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Cleverly, the film then swings back and forth from Julia Childs to Julie Powell, who is cooking and blogging her way through the book.

Julie Powell embarked on this project as a way of escapism from her job as a full time secretary, she came home in the evenings and set about mastering the recipes from her heroines book in her tiny kitchen above a Pizzeria.

Julie set out to cook a staggering 524 recipes in 365 days and blog about the recipes on a daily basis. She started blogging in 2002, when the blogosphere was a much smaller place, and thought she was blogging to a void. After 5 weeks of blogging she had her first comment - unfortunately it was from her mother saying she was the only reader!

The first recipe Julie cooked from the book was Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce. Julie put herself under considerable pressure trying to cook and blog every day and often went into meltdown! There are many very funny scenes in the film - I can only say lobsters - but you will have to watch the film!

She admirably completed the Julie & Julia Project, was given a book deal and invited to appear on the Food Network. To celebrate she invited friends to her apartment and cooked her last recipe from the book, Boned Duck Encased in Pastry.

Here is my Boeuf Bourguignon from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and as cooked by Julie Powell in the film - not the same Le Creuset Volcanic casserole though!


Julie Powell was unique, she started food blogging in the early days when the majority of us had never heard of blogs, cooked and blogged her way through Julia Childs book Mastering the Art of French Cooking in her own inimitable way, her book Julie & Julia was published and subsequently made into a film. This is now being released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 8th March, 2010.

Apart from feeling as though I was blogging to a void in the very beginning, I couldn't be much further away from Julie's story, in so much as I have never become obsessed with a chef/cookery writer or their cookery books. I prefer to flit from magazine to book, chef to cookery writer and then move on. Julie Powell was also young, creative, and living her dream. I am not sure if there will ever be another 'Julie Powell' perhaps she set the bar high - only time will tell.

Thank you to all at Greenroom.

A Piece of Cake by Leila Lindholm

I have been sent a wonderful baking book to review by New Holland Publishers(UK)Ltd.


Leila Lindholm is a popular TV Chef in Sweden and she also has her own food magazine, 'Leila's Country Living' (which is only in Sweden). In the UK she has been featured in Delicious and Easy Living magazines.

There are over 200 easy-to-follow baking recipes in this beautifully illustrated book. Chapters in the book are: In the Cookie Jar - On the Cake Plate - Tarts, flans and pies - Cupcakes and muffins - Party cakes - Berry squash and buns - Savoury bread - Hearty wholemeal and crisp bread - Baking without an oven - Sauces, creams and marmalade - also an SOS chapter.

To whet the appetite there are recipes for - lovely toffee slices, pecan banana bread, high-hat cupcakes, the apple lady's crumble, Spanish meringue, strawberry squash, blueberry and lemon scones, sweet rye and raisin rolls, fruit and hazelnut sourdough, lion bars and elderflower custard.

Leila gives a basic recipe for muffins, and then to this, other ingredients can be added. From the basic muffin mixture, we are given nine different muffin recipes. Maltezer muffins, Snickers muffins, and blueberry muffins with crumble, just to name a few. The principle of taking a basic recipe, to which other ingredients are added, is a theme used throughout the book.

Everyone who loves baking, as much as I do, will find this is a wonderful addition to the bookshelf. I haven't put the book down since receiving it, this really is the sign of a good book!

Here is an example of one of the beautiful cupcake recipes in the book.

RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

ISBN 9781847734457 - Page 86

Makes: 12-16 cupcakes

For the Classic cupcake recipe you will need: 3 organic eggs, 225g caster sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar, 100g unsalted butter, 100ml milk, 210g plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 pinch of salt, zest and juice of 1 lemon.
For the Raspberry Cupcakes you will need 150g raspberries.

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F/Gas 4.
2. Place muffin paper cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.
3. Beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Melt the butter, pour in the milk and blend with the egg mixture.
5. Add the lemon zest and juice to the mixture.
6. Carefully blend in the raspberries.
7. Pour the mixture into the cases until they are two-thirds full.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Raspberry Frosting

180g icing sugar, 150g cream cheese, 75g raspberries plus extra for decoration.

1. Make the frosting by mixing together the icing sugar and cream cheese until creamy.
2. Carefully blend in the raspberries and spread the frosting over the cupcakes.
3. Decorate with fresh raspberries.