Fairy Cupcakes with Carrot Garden

• vegetable oil↗75ml ml
• low‑fat natural yogurt↗95ml ml
• egg↗1

  beaten

• orange↗1

  zest

• light brown soft sugar↗150g g
• self‑raising flour↗200g g
• cinnamon↗½ tsp tsp
• carrot↗1

  (120 g) coarsely grated

• Maltesers Mini Bunnies (white or milk chocolate, both work)↗16
• orange gel food colouring↗
• low‑fat Greek yogurt↗125g g
• strawberries↗8

  cut into quarters (or eighths if very large)

• cream cheese↗100g g

  room temperature

• low‑fat Greek yogurt↗100g g

  room temperature

• maple syrup↗1½ tbsp tbsp
• зелений гелевий харчовий барвник↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Start by preparing the strawberry “carrots”. Mix 1 tsp orange food colouring with yogurt in a bowl. Dip the strawberry quarters, leaving the green top exposed, then spread them on a parchment‑lined baking tray. Freeze for 1 hour.

2. 2

   Set aside the remaining yogurt and add a bit more colouring to obtain a darker orange shade. Transfer to a small pastry bag. When the strawberries are frozen, cut a small opening in the bag and pipe a thin zig‑zag line onto the strawberries. Return to the freezer until ready to glaze the cupcakes.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C with fan, gas 4). Place 16 small paper cupcake liners in a muffin tin and set aside. Whisk together the vegetable oil, natural yogurt, egg, orange zest and a pinch of salt until smooth.

4. 4

   In a large bowl combine sugar, flour and cinnamon, then pour in the wet ingredients and gently mix. Add the carrot. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the batter into each cup and bake for 13‑15 minutes, until the cupcakes are springy, risen and golden. Remove from the tins and cool on a rack.

5. 5

   For the glaze, whisk all ingredients together until a smooth, glossy mixture forms a small peak. Optionally transfer to a pastry bag for neater decorating. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to decorate.

6. 6

   To assemble, pipe about 2 tsp of glaze onto the top of each cupcake with a pastry bag. Place the decorated strawberry “carrot” on the glaze, then top with a Maltesers Mini Bunny. Best enjoyed on the day it is made.