JB - your wish is my command

If I understood how to zoom into a scanned page, I wouldn't be typing this out. And apologies to all for the dual American/English jargon. Luckily I can still do 70wpm...

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'Your basic no-mucking-around cupcake'. This is the ultimate low-faff cupcake. Personally, I like to see a variety of sprinkeles and sweets (candies), but I have a cupboard full of alternatives, which makes life easier. You can even choose from a great selection of sprinkly pots that have four different tyupes of sprinkles in one pot. Enjoy. Incidentally, this sort of cake was a firm favourite with my all-time best ever hen, the very wonderful Jean.

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Makes about 12.

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110g/4oz/1 cup self-raising flour, sifted

110g/4oz/1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar, sifted

110g/40z/1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 tsp baking powder

2 large free-range eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 quantity of glace icing [200g/7 oz/1 1/4 cups icing (confectioners') sugar, sifted, & juice of 1 lemon or 55 ml/2 fl oz boiling water + food colouring of your choice]

sweeties (candies) and sprinkles, to decorate.

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Preheat the oven to 160 C/325 F/Gas mark 3. This still held true with my fan-assisted oven. Line a 12-hole muffin tin (pan) with cupcake cases (baking cups). Put all the ingredients (except the icing and sprinkles), in a mixer (food processor, food mixer, or just a big bowl with an electric whisk). Mix really well until the mixture is light and fluffy.

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Plonk heaped teaspoons of the mixture into the prepared cases, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden, and firm and springy when you give them a light prod on top. Let them cool beore preparing the icing - on a wire rack if you want, but not 100 per cent necessary.

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To make the icing, you really must sift the icing sugar. Add the water really slowly ( a teaspoonful at a time), and stir until you have a consistency like thick double (whipping) cream. Because there's no going back when it's too runny. Pour a little icing on top of each cake, and add whatever decoration takes your fancy before the icing dries.

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And my own advice is: under no circumstances substitute anything half-way healthy for these pure, unadulterated, processed ingredients, particularly the margarine, it will ruin the whole effect.

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Divide icing sugar into as many small bowls as you have patience, and colour each differently.

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Spread all your containers of decorations out on the kitchen surface, & combine away to your heart's content.

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Thanks to S opposite, whose book this actually is, which I ought to return some time.