Mince Pie Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180.

Cream together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla essence until smooth and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

In separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, then add to the batter and mix well until incorporated. Add the milk to loosen the mixture, mixing to a soft, smooth consistency.

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases and divide the mixture evenly between them. Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven door to check them for the first 20 - this stops them from collapsing!

Remove from the oven, turn the cupcakes out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.

Cream the butter and icing sugar together until smooth and fluffy, then mix in the brandy. You may have to add a little more icing sugar or a tablespoon of flour if the icing becomes too runny. It should be firm enough to hold a peak if a spoon is dipped in and removed. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle and chill in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up a little.

When the cakes have cooled, cut any domed tops off and use a peeler or apple corer to make a hole in the middle of each one, leaving at least 1/2 cm of sponge to the edge of the cake all round. Keep all the offcuts.

Fill each cake with a heaped tsp of mincemeat and replace the offcuts of sponge back on top to seal it in. You may have to trim these a little, but it doens't matter if they stand slightly proud of the top of the cake.

Finally, pipe the icing in a spiral on top of the cake, making sure the hole in the middle is completely covered. Start at the outside and spiral towards the middle, building up to a peak. Decorate with as much festive glitter, decorations and sweets as you like!