How to Decorate Pastel Easter Cupcakes

* Coloured Deco Melts

* Chocolate Moulds

* Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting x2

* Food Colouring in Different Colours

* Piping Nozzles – 1M, 2D, 21, 125

* Piping Bags

* Sprinkles and Edible Pearls

* Coloured Deco Melts

* Chocolate Moulds

* Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting x2

* Food Colouring in Different Colours

* Piping Nozzles – 1M, 2D, 21, 125

* Piping Bags

* Sprinkles and Edible Pearls

Preheat your oven to 170°C fan/190°/gas mark 5.

To make the cupcakes, beat together the sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and then stop mixing to ensure your cakes are light and fluffy when baked.

Put the cupcake cases into a cupcake tin and evenly divide the mixture between the cases.

Bake the cupcakes until risen and golden, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Then, remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

To make the chocolate shapes, melt coloured Deco Melts according to the packet instructions.

Top Tip: To make pastel shades, melt white Deco Melts first and add a few coloured Deco Melts to it, for a paler shade.

Fill the moulds with your chosen colours and leave to harden.

Top Tip: To give the eggs a spotty design, dip a small ball tool or the end of a small paintbrush into one colour of Deco Melts and stamp the inside of the mould with spots of colour. When this has set, fill the mould with a contrasting colour of Deco Melts.

Decant the frosting into a large bowl and beat with a tablespoon or add more icing sugar until the frosting is pale and holds its shape well.

Divide the frosting between 4 bowls and colour each bowl with a drop or two of food colouring as desired.

Fit 4 piping bags with different nozzles and fill each bag with coloured frosting.

Pipe each cupcake with 3 different colours, utilizing the different nozzles to pipe ribbons, swirls and stars.

Add a smattering of sprinkles and adorn your cupcakes with a cute Easter chocolate shape.

To pipe a rainbow effect rosette, lay a square of cling film down on your work surface. Pipe a row of each coloured frosting and then roll the cling film up into a sausage shape.

Twist the 2 ends and snip one end off with scissors. Then, insert the cut end into a piping bag fitted with a 2D nozzle.

Squeeze your mixture gently to push the frosting down through the nozzle. Hold the nozzle directly over the centre of your cupcake and pipe a swirl, working your way outwards until you reach the outside edge and pull away.