SWEET TREATS:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas with these fabulously festive delights.

festive baking and delicious desserts

Red velvet cupcakes

MAKES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 30 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME) ¾ cup (110g) self-raising flour 2 tablespoons cocoa ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 100g butter, softened ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk 1 egg 1 tablespoon red food colouring gold pearl sugar and gold stars (or similar), to decorate

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1¼ cups (200g) icing sugar, sifted 80g butter, softened 125g cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk 1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Line a 12-hole muffin pan (⅓ cup/80ml capacity) with paper cases. 2 Sift flour and cocoa into a medium bowl. Add vanilla, butter, condensed milk, egg and food colouring. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy. 3 Divide mixture between paper cases (about ¼ cup of mixture into each paper case). Bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked when tested.

4 CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, beat with an electric mixer until smooth, thick and creamy. 5 Pipe Cream Cheese Frosting onto cooled cakes. Decorate with gold sugar and gold stars. Uniced cakes suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.