Cheeky Chocolate Pink Cupcakes

Mix the cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add the oil and whisk again.

Then add the flour and cocoa, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Pour into cupcake cases and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the cakes are firm to the touch and a skewer or sharp knife when gently put inside comes out clean. Leave to cool on racks.

Now for the cheeky bit... No one really expects soft caramel chocolate inside the cakes, so this is a nice surprise.

You can buy some salted caramel quite easily at most supermarkets now and it does save time – but by all means make your own.

Melt some dark or milk chocolate and mix with equal quantities of the salted caramel. (about 100g of each should do it – any left over is gorgeous over ice cream!) Now make a little hole into the chocolate sponge with an apple corer or a teaspoon and gently tease the cake apart ...not too much, you just want a small hole. Pour in the chocolate caramel. It will set up a bit.

For the frosting – make up a batch of Lotte’s Cream cheese frosting and dye it a lovely bright pink with some edible gel colouring.

You’ll also need a can of edible silver cake spray, some sugar hearts and some pink and yellow sprinkles.....or other sugar sprinkles and shapes that you fancy. And of course some edible glitter!

Pipe the frosting into a swirl on top of the filled cupcakes and then spray with the silver spray until it glistens. Now decorate to your hearts content and give it a sprinkle of glitter.