Perfect Buttercream Icing for a double layer cake!

14oz Icing Sugar

5oz Butter

1. Sieve the Icing Sugar into a bowl

2. Add the butter and with a fork or your finger, crumble it together so the mixture begins to form together

3. Whisk the icing sugar and butter together for approx 5 minutes, this will then make it nice and fluffy - amazing!

N.B. Add any flavour you like to this; 2oz cocoa powder / 2 Tsp of any Essence / or Juice of half a lemon / orange.

N.B. You can also pipe this on to cupcakes or you can freeze it in the freezer for up to 3 months or leave in the fridge and just have a sneeky eat now and then!

Apple and Mixed Spice Crumble Cupakes (Royalties Crumble Surprise)

4oz Self Raising Flour

1 1/5 Tsp Baking Powder

3oz Light Muscovado Sugar (Or any brown sugar)

2oz Granulated Sugar

2oz Butter

1 1/2Tsp Mixed Spice

1 Apple Grated

100ml Semi Skimmed Milk

1 Egg

1Tsp Vanilla Essence

Cooking time: 170 / Gas Mark 3 for approx 15-18 minutes

Serving: 12 Cupcakes

1. Cream the butter and both sugars together in a bowl until well combined

2. Sieve in the flour, mixed spice and baking powder and whisk the mixtures together until it forms a sandy consistency and everything is combined

3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla essence and half the milk until the mixture is combined

4. Peal the apple and then grate the insides, coat in the insides in flour (This prevents it from all sinking)

5. Add the grated apple and the rest of the milk

6. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes and prepare the crumble topping

Crumble Topping

3oz butter

3oz Sugar

5oz Self Raising Flour

1. Put the butter, sugar and flour into a bowl and whisk with a whisk until it is well combined and has formed a lumpy sandy consistency or the method I prefer just get your hands stuck in and crumble it together

2. Divide the crumble mixture between the cupcakes

3. Put the cupcakes into the oven and bake for approx. 18 minutes or until golden

Leave the cupcakes in the tray for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack

You can ice this if you wish or leave them plain, if icing just use the normal buttercream icing recipe

Chocolate Mint Aero Cupcakes

4oz Butter

4oz Granulated Sugar

4oz Self Raising Flour

1Tsp Baking Powder

2 Eggs

3oz Aero Mint Chocolate Bar (Chopped)

1 and 1/2Tsp Peppermint Essence

Cooking time: 180c / Gas Mark 5 for approx 15 minutes

Serving: 12 Cupcakes

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth

2. Whisk the eggs separatly in a bowl until combined

3. Whisk the eggs and peppermint essence into the butter mixture until well combined and smooth

4. Coat the aero mint chocolate in the flour

5. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the creamed mixture

6. Gently fold the flour mixture into the mixture followed by the chocolate

7. Be careful not to fold too much as the mixture will loose its air and not rise

8. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden

9. Remove from the oven and leave in the tray for 10 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire cooling rack

Icing

12oz Icing Sugar

4oz Butter

2Tsp Peppermint Essence

A Few drops of green food colouring

1Tbs of Milk

Aero Mint Chocolate Bar

1. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl

2. Add the butter to the icing sugar and with a whisk, whick the mixture until it is well combined and smooth, keep whisking to make it lightly, this should be for approx 3-5 minutes

3. Add the peppermint essence, food colouring and milk and whisk for another 1-2 minutes

4. The mixture should now be ready, once ready fill a pipping bag or tube with the icing and I placed a swirl knozzle on the end to pipe on to the cakes

5. Lastly break the left over aero mint chocolate bar on top of the icing and you are finished!

Chocolate Sponge Cake

6oz Self Raising Flour

6oz Butter

6oz Granulated Sugar

3Eggs

1 1/2oz Cocoa Powder

Cooking Time: Gas Mark 5 / 180c for 15 minutes in middle of oven

Serving: A 2 layer Cake (2x7inch deep tins)

1. Pre heat Oven and grease the baking tins with butter and flour

2. Whisk the butter and the sugar together until creamy (this is for a good few minutes)

3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then whisk into the butter mixture until well combined

4. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture

5. Fold the mixture slowly into the mixture using a figure of 8 (this ensures the mixture will rise well)

6. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins

7. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes

8. Take out of the oven, leave in the tin for 5 minutes then remove and place on a wire cooling rack.

For the top of the cake we use glace icing and then pipe buttercream icing in a criss cross on top.

You need to make the glace icing fairly thick and leave to cool and set before piping on the buttercream icing.

Glace Icing

5oz Icing Sugar

2Tsp Cocoa Powder

Warm Water to thicken

1. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl with the cocoa powder

2. With a fork mix in a tablespoon of water at a time to combine and thicken the icing

3. Once at the right consistency (So that it sticks to a knife, but is easy to smooth) spread on the top of one of the sponge cakes.

Buttercream Icing

12oz Icing Sugar

2oz Cocoa powder

4.5oz Butter

1. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl with the cocoa powder

2. Whisk the butter into the icing sugar mixture until well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy (I find you need to whisk for a good few minutes)

3. Spoon the mixture into the piping bag and pipe across the top of the glace icing. (We used a star nozzle)

4. Spread the rest of the buttercream icing onto the other sponge and level out

5. Place the top layer onto the bottom sponge and serve!

Vanilla Cupcakes

1 Tin of Carnation Condensed Milk (light)
5oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
3oz Butter
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Cooking time: 15 minutes on 180c / Gas Mark 5
Serving: 15 largish cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven and fill a cupcakecake tin with cases
2. Cream together the Butter, egg, vanilla essence and milk until smooth
3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder
4. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases and place in the middle of the oven and bake
5. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool

Vanilla Icing

11oz Icing Sugar
3.5oz Butter
2 Tbs Carnation Condensed Milk
1 Tbs Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl
2. Put the butter and vanilla essence into the bowl and whisk into the icing sugar until combined
3. Pour in first the condensed milk and whisk then depending on the consistency add the normal milk until you get a nice smooth icing consistency
4. Dollop a spoonful on each cupcake and decorate with sprinkles and enjoy

N.B. If you want these chocolate just had 2oz Cocoa Powder to the cake and icing mixture

Blackberry and Almond Traybake

7oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2oz Oats
2oz Ground Almonds
7oz Butter
7oz Granulated Sugar
3oz Light Brown Sugar
2oz Desiccated Coconut
2 Eggs
11oz Blackberries

Cooking Time: Gas Mark 4 / 180c for 45 minutes and then another 15 minutes
Serving: 15 squares

1. Preheat the oven to the above temperature and grease proof a baking tray (31cmx17cm)
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and the ground almonds
3. Add the butter and two sugars and crumble the mixture with a food processor or your hands to form breadcrumbs
4. Set aside 5oz of the mixture and add the coconut to this
5. To the rest of the mixture add the two eggs and whisk until it forms a dropping like consistency
6. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and smooth out
7. Scatter half of the blackberries on top and then the crumble mixture
8. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes then remove and add the rest of the berries and place back into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while and then cut into squares and place on a wire rack and then enjoy either warm or cold!

N.B. You can use any fruit (fresh or frozen) for this traybake.

Buttercream Biscuits

9oz Plain Flour

1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

6oz Butter (Melted)

7oz Dark Brown Soft Sugar

4oz Caster Sugar

1 Tbp Vanilla extract

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk

Cooking time: 180c/Gas Mark 4 for 16 minutes in the middle of the oven

Serving: 20 smallish biscuits or less is you like them larger

1. Preheat the overn and grease a baking tray

2. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl

3. In a separate bowl cream together the butter, and both sugars until well blended

4. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy

5. Add the flour and stir well but slowly

6. Drop cookie dough onto the tray, leaving a space between the dough (as it will spread slightly) and bake in the oven for 16 minutes or until lightly toasted

7. Leave on the trays to cool for about 10 minutes and then transfer carefully to a wire cooling rack

Butter cream Filling

9oz Butter

1lb 5oz Icing Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbp Milk

Food colouring (optional)

1. Cream together the butter and vanilla extract

2. Whisk in the sieved icing sugar a little at a time

3. Add the milk and food colouring is doing so and whisk in well

4. Divide the buttercream between the biscuits and then sandwich together and enjoy!

N.B. If you want your biscuits coffee add 1 Tbp of coffee granules in water to the biscuit mixture

N.B. If you want your biscuits chocolate add 2oz of cocoa powder to the biscuit mixture