The Bakinglady 

Luscious apricot studded cupcakes with a little swirl of Amaretto infused butter cream frosting are the perfect anecdote for a stressful day and one bite of these delicious cakes will transport you mentally to the sunshine coast of the Italian Riviera. Bellisimo...... x

What you need

150g baking margarine

150g caster sugar

3 medium eggs

185g gluten free self raising flour (if you don’t have a gluten intolerance simply exchange the gluten free flour for standard self raising flour but they are so delicious you won’t want to let your gluten intolerant friends from enjoying them)

100g dried ready to eat apricots, chopped into small pieces with a pair of scissors

3 tablespoons orange juice

Frosting

75g Trex

125g Butter

250g icing sugar

2 tablespoons Amaretto liquor

1-2 tablespoons orange coloured sugar (find this in the baking section of supermarkets)

What you do

Preheat the oven to 180c or 160c for a fan oven and line a 12 hole muffin tin with large paper cup cases.

Place the chopped apricots and orange juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer very gently for 5 minutes then mash the apricots with a fork, leave to cool

Cream the margarine and caster sugar until the mixture is pale, soft and fluffy then beat in the eggs a little at a time ensuring you beat well after each addition. Fold in the cooled apricots followed by the gluten free self raising flour and mix well.

Spoon the cake mixture into the paper cases, filling them 2/3rds full and bake in the pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove and allow them to cool in the tin to prevent the paper cases coming away from the cakes.

To make the frosting, beat the butter, Trex, icing sugar and amaretto together until soft and fluffy then place into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe the butter cream on top of the cooled cakes, sprinkle with the orange coloured sugar.