Liquorice cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4) and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the star anise, heat the milk until it’s just about boiling, stirring occasionally then remove from the heat before it boils. Leave to one side for the flavours to infuse for 30 minutes or longer.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then add the eggs on by one beating after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract.

Sieve in the flour and baking powder and then add the milk, having removed the star anise. Fold the mix together until combined. Then add the liquorice and stir in until evenly distributed.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. The leave to cool on a wire rack.

Roll out the black sugar paste on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to a thickness of a £1 coin. Using a pastry cutter about the same size as the top of the cupcake, cut out circles of sugar paste.

Lightly brush the surface of the cakes with the warmed apricot jam then place the sugar paste discs on top. Decorate with the liquorice sweets.