Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.
3. Combine all wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl or jug and whisk to mix.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until there are no lumps. Fill cupcake papers to 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes and leave to cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.
5. To make the buttercream, beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
6. Add icing sugar, salt, milk or cream and vanilla extract. Start beating together with a mixer on low speed, once icing sugar has been mixed in, increase speed and beat until frosting is smooth and creamy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is well incorporated.
7. Divide frosting into three. Beat orange gel or paste colour into one batch, purple into the second batch, and green into the third batch. Spoon each frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large plain, star or French piping tip. Set aside. To finish your cupcakes, use an apple corer to remove the centre of each cooled cupcake then spoon in about 1 tbsp of jam into the remaining hole.
8. Next, top four cupcakes with a swirl of orange frosting and decorate with sprinkles or sugar decorations, then do the same with the green and purple buttercream on the remaining cupcakes.
9. Cupcakes will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.