Maybe I’m a little obsessed with Guy Fawkes’ Day…

Anyway these are “dynamite” cupcakes!!

MAKES 12

INGREDIENTS

• ½ tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• 4fl oz full-fat milk
• 4 oz plain flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 4½ oz honey
• 1 large egg For the icing
• 4 oz unsalted butter
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 lb confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp red food coloring
• 4 boxes of chocolate matchsticks

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cupcake pan with paper cake liners.

Add the lemon or vinegar to the milk and set it to one side to allow the milk to curdle. Sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and half the honey together in a large bowl until pale and creamy, at least five minutes. Add the egg, followed by the rest of the honey. Follow this with a third of the cocoa mixture, then a third of the soured milk; keep alternating till you have used up all the mixtures.

Divide the mixture among the liners. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and springy to the touch.Do not overbake. Remove to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar, a third at a time, and continue to mix, adding the vanilla and then the red food coloring to achieve a strong red color.

Turn the cupcakes upside down and remove their paper linerss. Using a butter knife or spatula, cover the cakes (still upside down) in red icing. Build up the icing on the cakes to create high peaks.

While the icing is still soft, press in the ‘logs’, which you can break into smaller pieces to fit. Some should be higher than the cake and you can use the shorter pieces to fill in the gaps. The iced peak should show just over the top of each log to give the impression of a flame.