Iced Hidden Strawberry Cup Cakes

All you do is sift the flour into a roomy mixing bowl, lifting the sieve quite high to  give the flour a good airing as it goes down, then simply add all the other ingredients (except the strawberries).

Now, using an electric hand whisk, combine them for about 1 minute until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Next, divide half the mixture between the cake cases, then place a strawberry (pointed part uppermost) on top of each one. After that divide the remaining mixture between the cases – making sure the strawberries are covered. Then bake the cakes near the centre of the oven for 15–20 minutes.

While that’s happening, make the strawberry icing. All you need to do is whizz the strawberries to a purée in a mini-chopper, then sieve the purée into a bowl containing the icing sugar, mixing as you go. You may not need all the purée, just enough to give it a good spreadable consistency. Cover the bowl with some damp kitchen paper.

When the cakes are cooked (i.e. well-risen and golden), remove them to a wire cooling  tray, and when they’re cold, use a small palette knife to spread the icing on top of each cake. You need to leave the icing to set for about 30 minutes. Then top each one with a quarter of a strawberry and finish off with a dusting of icing sugar.

These are best eaten as fresh as possible.