Valentine's Cupcakes

For the Icing:
225g of Butter
250g of Icing Sugar
Gold Decorative Spray
Chocolate Love Hearts
For the Cupcake:
225g of Flour
225g of Butter
4 Eggs
225g of Sugar
1 Tsp of Baking Powder
1 Tsp of Vanilla Essence
Pre-Heated Oven at 180°C

This recipe makes 10 cupcakes

1. First of all we make the  cupcakes themselves, we can then use the time they are in the oven to make the icing. Get a large bowl and crack in all of the 4 eggs.
2. Add 225g of sugar and the 225g of butter. Ideally the butter should be room temperature, otherwise place it in the microwave for 20-30seconds. Cut the butter into smaller cubes to make the mixing process easier.
3. Then add 225g of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
4. Mix all the ingredients with a stand mixer or an electric whisk. Make sure everything is smooth and all the lumps of butter have disappeared.
5. This recipe should make around 10 cupcakes. Put the cupcake cases into the cupcake baking tray and slowly with a spoon pour the flour mixture. Each cupcake should be a finger's width from the top of the case, leaving room for growth.   
6. Put the tray in the oven at 180°C for around 20-25 minutes.

1. Whilst the cupcakes are baking, get a new bowl and put 225g of butter. Again the butter should be soft to make the job easier, so if its not at room temperature, pop it in the microwave. Cut it into smaller pieces and add to the bowl also 250g of icing sugar.
2. Now again with a stand mixer or an electric whisk, mix the two ingredients. Be careful as the icing sugar goes everywhere! Start the whisking at a low speed and then speed up as the icing sugar becomes smoother. If you want some colour in your icing sugar, now is the time to add it.
3. If the mixture is really too dry, add a tiny bit of milk, but this should be a last measure.
4. Check your cupcakes regularly, but they should be now ready. If your unsure, put a knife through one and if the knife is clean, they are done. 
5. Let them cool down for half an hour or so, make sure they are cool when you ice them, or the butter will just melt.
6. Put the icing sugar into a piping bag and, starting at the outside edge of a cupcake, pipe around the cupcake in a spiral towards the centre. The first cupcake can sometimes be a trial. 
7. Spray the icing sugar with a gold decorative spray and sprinkle some chocolate hearts for decor.

Enjoy!