Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180*c/350*f/Gas Mark 4/160*c Fan Oven.

Line a cupcake tin with cases and set aside.

Place the margarine and sugar into a bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, self-raising flour and milk to the mixture, blending until fully combined.

Stir through the lemon zest and spoon the mixture into your prepared tin.

Cook for 16 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and light and fluffy. You can tell the cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. You could also insert a skewer into the middle of one of the cakes and if it comes out clean, then the cakes are ready.

Once ready, remove from the oven

Allow the cakes to sit in the tin for roughly 5 minutes, then place on a wired rack to cool. Whilst waiting, start to make the icing.

Add the butter to a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, blend until creamy.

Add 3 oz / 85 grams icing sugar and milk to the bowl and using a spoon, gently stir together until just combined (this helps to prevent an icing sugar explosion!), before mixing with the electric mixer.

Add another 3 oz / 85 grams icing sugar and follow the steps above, do not be afraid to overmix, you want this to be nice and smooth.

Place the lemon curd in the bowl and whisk until combined, tasting and adjusting for preference

Add the raspberries and blend until thoroughly combined. It may look quite wet at this point, add the remaining icing sugar and mix everything together.

The juice in the raspberries react with the butter, giving the icing a speckled effect. This is just where the fat and liquid content struggle to mix. Please do not worry, this has not curdled, this is the desired consistency.

Use a butter knife or palette knife to roughly ‘smear’ the icing on top of the cake.

Top with any remaining lemon zest and enjoy!

These cakes are best eaten straight away, but if there are any left overs store in the fridge and eat within 2 days.