raspberry cupcakes with mascarpone frosting recipe

This recipe comes from my friend Sarah Wilkin, who is a brilliant baker and does tiered chandeliers of these cupcakes for parties. I'm not normally one for a cupcake - they can be so dry - but these are fantastic. Blackberries can be used instead of raspberries, but take out the ground almonds, as those two flavours don't work so well together.

These cupcakes are good served on a cake stand, along with bread and cheese, at the end of a meal. Then some people can have savoury and some sweet.

for 12-14 cakes

• 40g butter, at room temperature
• 140g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour, sifted
• 25g ground almonds
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 120ml milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120g fresh raspberries (set aside a few of the best for decoration)

for the frosting

• 150g mascarpone cheese
• 150g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Line a couple of bun trays with 12-14 cupcake cases.

Put the butter, sugar, flour, almonds, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer and beat until you get a fine consistency. In a separate bowl beat together the egg, milk and vanilla. Add this liquid bit by bit to the dry mixture until it's fully incorporated, but don't overmix. Gently fold in most of the raspberries, saving some for decoration.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full, then bake for 20-25 minutes. The cakes should look golden and the tops spring back when touched. Transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the frosting, put the mascarpone in a bowl and beat until you get a creamy texture. Sift in the icing sugar and mix until combined. Using either a piping bag or palette knife, apply the frosting to the cakes. Top with the remaining raspberries and dust with icing sugar.

This recipe appears on p.222 of Sarah's Food for Friends and Family Cookbook.