Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180°F. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.

Beat the butter and sugar together, add vanilla extract, add the eggs one at a time and beat until light and creamy.

Fold in the sifted flour a bit at a time. Divide into 3 equal portions.

Colour one portion with the pink food colouring.

Add the coco powder and extra milk to another portion leaving the last portion plain.

Using a teaspoon drop alternate spoonfuls of cake mixture into cake cases, at this point you can leave as is or using a cocktail stick you can swirl the mixture about to create a marbled effect.

Bake for about 20 minutes until firm to the touch, test with a cocktail stick, it must come out clean. Turn out to cool.

Beat butter until soft and as white as possible, add half of the icing sugar and milk in small quanties, beat till smooth.

As with cake mixture divide into 3 equal portions, colour one with the pink food colouring, add coco powder and extra milk to the other and leave 1 plain.

Atbthis point you can decide how to decorate your cakes, either put all 3 icings in stripes on each cake or ice each cake with just one colour.