Christmas Cupcakes

YOU WILL NEED: Small holly-leaf cutter with veining stamp, and a 12-bun muffin tin and papers.

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and then beat in a third of the flour mixture followed by a tablespoon of the sour cream, repeating till all is used up.
3. Put 125ml/½ cup of boiling water, chocolate and instant coffee in a pan and heat gently, just until the chocolate’s melted. Fold this into the cake batter, but don’t overbeat. The mixture will be very thin, but don’t worry about that: just pour carefully into the waiting muffin cases and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, until each little cake is cooked through but still dense and damp.
4. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then slip out the cakes in their papers and sit on a wire rack until completely cold.
5. To ice them, make up the royal icing according to the packet instructions, or for the US, mix the confectioner's sugar and meringue powder in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons warm water. Beat with an electric mixer until icing forms soft peaks.
6. Cover the tops of the cupcakes thickly. Cut out holly leaves and sit two on each cake, and then press on your berries, perhaps putting two on some, three on others.

YOU WILL NEED: Small holly-leaf cutter with veining stamp, and a 12-bun muffin tin and papers.

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and then beat in a third of the flour mixture followed by a tablespoon of the sour cream, repeating till all is used up.
3. Put 125ml/½ cup of boiling water, chocolate and instant coffee in a pan and heat gently, just until the chocolate’s melted. Fold this into the cake batter, but don’t overbeat. The mixture will be very thin, but don’t worry about that: just pour carefully into the waiting muffin cases and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, until each little cake is cooked through but still dense and damp.
4. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then slip out the cakes in their papers and sit on a wire rack until completely cold.
5. To ice them, make up the royal icing according to the packet instructions, or for the US, mix the confectioner's sugar and meringue powder in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons warm water. Beat with an electric mixer until icing forms soft peaks.
6. Cover the tops of the cupcakes thickly. Cut out holly leaves and sit two on each cake, and then press on your berries, perhaps putting two on some, three on others.