Party cakes recipe

These super-cute, super-sweet cakes are great for parties. Simply decorate them to suit the occasion

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 125g (4½ oz) unsalted butter
• 125g (4½ oz) caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 125g (4½ oz) plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 400g (14oz) icing sugar, sifted
• Lemon juice to taste
• Few drops edible food colouring
• 55g (2oz) dark chocolate, melted
• 55g (2oz) white chocolate, melted
• Edible ladybirds, flowers and leaves, to decorate

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Gradually whisk in eggs. Sieve together flour and baking powder and fold into cake mix with vanilla extract. Spoon into a greased, lined 18cm (7in) square cake tin and bake in an oven preheated to 190ºC (375ºF, gas mark 5) for 20-25 mins or until firm to touch. Leave to cool for 10 mins. Turn out on to a wire rack. Cut cake into 16 squares and pop back on wire rack.
2. Make glacé icing by gradually adding 4tbsp warm water to the icing sugar, mixing. Add enough lemon juice to give you an icing thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you want different coloured cakes, divide the mixture and colour accordingly. Spoon glacé icing over the top and sides of each cake. Leave to set.
3. Pop melted chocolate into a small piping bag (made from greaseproof paper) and pipe zigzags over the top and sides of each cake. Add edible decorations.