BBC Children in Need cupcakes: batch 3

Method

• step 1

  Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Mix the flour, sugars, baking powder and zest. In another bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the cream, vanilla and butter and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir to mix but don’t overbeat. Spoon into cases.

• step 2

  Bake for 25 mins. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

• step 3

  For the caramel springs design by Jean-Christophe Novelli. Gently heat 175g caster sugar and 1 tbsp liquid glucose in a heavy-based pan to form a caramel. Pour a small puddle onto oiled greaseproof paper. When cold, roughly crush. Cool the rest until caramel falls in long threads from a spoon, then twirl threads round an oiled knifesharpening steel and slide off to make springs. If the caramel gets too hard, gently reheat. Using a fork, dip 36 hazelnuts in caramel. Cool on baking parchment. Lightly whip 170ml double cream and fold in some crushed caramel. Cut circles from centre of each cake, and cut in half. Fill the centres with the cream, stick in the halved circles, dust with icing sugar and top with nuts and caramel springs.

• step 4

  For the peanut butter & jelly popcorn design by Marcus Wareing. Softly whip 170ml double cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar, then stir in 1 tbsp peanut butter. Heat 150ml double cream and 4 tsp caster sugar just to boiling, take off the heat and stir in 85g finely chopped dark chocolate and 1½ tbsp boiling water. Slice off cake tops. Cut small hollows from the peaks, then coat tops with chocolate icing. Spoon raspberry jam and the peanut butter cream into the hollows and spread both over the bases. Replace the lids and top with shop-bought caramel popcorn.

• step 5

  For the chef’s hat design by Michel Roux Jnr. Melt 175g dark chocolate. Draw hat outlines onto baking parchment, then pipe over lines with chocolate. Spread more chocolate in to fill the outline. Leave to set. Melt 100g white chocolate, then use a small writing nozzle to pipe decoration and ‘chef’ onto hats. Cut circles from rolled-out ready-to-roll white icing to fit the cakes. Brush cake tops with honey and lay circles on top. Use small balls of icing to prop hats on top.