The hidden jam centre is a lovely surprise against the vanilla sponge. Nothing beats homemade jam, but if you don’t have raspberries, just swap for berries of your choice — strawberries work well. It’s a great recipe to make with children, too. You will need cupcake cases and a 12-cup muffin tin.
Makes 12 cupcakes
Time 1 hour
For the jam
For the cakes
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For the icing
01 If you’re making the jam, place all its ingredients in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then turn the heat to medium and allow to bubble for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
02 Put a saucer in the freezer for 20 minutes, then drop a small amount of the jam onto it. Wait a moment, then drag your finger through it — if the skin wrinkles, it’s ready; if not, return the pan to the hob for 5 minutes and repeat. Sieve into a bowl, then allow to cool.
03 Heat the oven to 160C (180C non-fan) and put the cupcake cases in the muffin tin. Place all the cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy. Fill each case with batter, then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
04 To make the icing, whip the butter in a large bowl until pale. Sift in the icing sugar and combine with the vanilla. It will be quite stiff at this point, so add the cream cheese 1 tsp at a time, until you have a smooth, fluffy buttercream. I like the icing to be soft, but still holding a good shape.
05 Using a paring knife, cut a 3cm piece from the centre of the cooled cupcakes and fill with the jam.
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06 Fix a star nozzle to a piping bag and add a drop of the food gel to the bag, letting it trickle down. Place the icing into the piping bag. Pipe a big swirl of the icing onto the top of the jam and over the top of each cupcake. The swirl will have stripes of colour throughout . Place a raspberry and a sprig of mint on top of each swirl and sprinkle over the freeze-dried raspberries.
