Gingerbread Cupcakes:

150g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

120g syrup: ½ dark treacle, ½ golden syrup

2 large eggs + 2 yolks

300g plain flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp each of : salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg

240ml hot, but not boiled, milk

OVEN: usual. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Then add the syrup with the egg and beat for a while until everything is well and truly incorporated.

Next sieve in the dry ingredients and the spices in 3 additions, mixing on a low speed. Alternate between the dry ingredients and some milk. By the end it should be super velvety!

Bake for the usual 18 - 20 minutes and don't fill the cases past ⅔ of the way!!

Frost with a cream cheese frosting, flavoured with a tsp finely grated lemon zest + a dash of juice. If you have a zester, draw long strands of zest and put these on top - they look very pretty!