January is bleak enough withouth thinking about diets and detoxes, so we asked Cuckoo’s Bakery in Edinburgh to give us their delicious, spirit-lifting recipe for Champagne and raspberry cupcakes!

Makes 12

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 160g unsalted butter
• 160g caster sugar
• 170g plain flour
• 2 ½ teaspoonsbaking powder
• 3large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tablespoonsof champagne
• 125g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 275g icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons of champagne
• 8 tablespoons of raspberry jam
• 4 tablespoons of champagne

Directions:

1. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake cases.

2. Cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes using an electric hand mixer.

3. Crack the eggs into a jug and lightly beat them, add the champagne to them.

4. Sift the flour and baking powder on top of the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

5. Add the egg and champagne to the bowl.

6. Mix them with an electric hand mixer at a medium speed for two minutes.

7. Divide the batter among liners.

8. Bake for 18 minutes at 180C. Press lightly on top of the cakes – if they spring back they are ready.

9. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack if possible.

Buttercream

Directions:

1. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until soft and whippy

2. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and slowly blend with the hand mixer.

3. Increase the speed of the hand mixer slightly and beat together for 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add the champagne and mix everything together with the hand mixer for a further one minute at a slow speed.

Filling

Directions:

1. Mix the raspberry jam and champagne together in a bowl.

2. Using an apple corer, core out the centre of each cooled cake.

3. Using a teaspoon, fill the cored out cake with the champagne jam mixture and replace the cored out sponge back into the cake.

To decorate

1. Frost each of the cakes with a palette knife or piping bag and nozzle.

2. Decorate with your favourite sprinkles, a cocktail firework or a fresh raspberry. Have fun!