125g butter, at room temperature
125g Siucra light golden brown sugar
2 medium free range eggs
150g self-raising flour
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cupcake Buttercream for 10-12 cupcakes
225g butter, at room temperature
450g Siucra icing sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Green food colouring (Sugarflair, Holly Green)
Sugar decorations: silver balls, stars, circles

Preheat oven to 180 degrees / 160 degrees fan.

Line a bun tin with 12 paper cases.

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract, flour and milk. Divide the mixture equally between the 12 cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before piping on the buttercream.

Buttercream
Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla extract and beat again. It takes a few minutes to turn into buttercream.

Add the green food colouring gradually until you have the desired colour.

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Pipe onto each cupcake starting wide at the bottom and getting narrower as you go up. Try to do this in one movement.

Place a star decoration on top and coloured sugar decorations or silver balls around the tree.

Designed by Chef Ciara Fennessy