OREO CUPCAKES

MAKES 12

For the buttercream icing:

• 150g butter
• 150g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150g self-raising flour

• 500g butter
• 1g icing sugar

Step 1
salt a pinch.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Step 3
Get the middle shelf ready.

Step 4
Line a 12-hole cupcake tray with cases.

Step 5
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 6
Then add the eggs one by one, beating together after each addition.

Step 7
If at any time the mixture looks like it has curdled, add a little bit of the flour and beat it like mad until it looks uniform again.

Step 8
Add the flour and mix together along with the salt, and then fold in half a packet of the Oreos (crumble them up first).

Step 9
Divide the mixture among the 12 cupcake cases and then bake for around 25 minutes (oven temperatures are often not very accurate and vary so much) or until they feel spongy and smell cooked.

Step 10
Once the cakes are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool completely in the tin.

Step 11
Once they are done, set them aside and start making the buttercream.

Step 12
Cream together the butter and icing sugar until it is light and fluffy.

Step 13
Then fold in a half-packet of crumbled-up Oreos.

Step 14
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, plop a big spoonful of the icing mixture on each cake, then smooth it around with a knife until it is to your liking.

Step 15
It is quite hard to pipe the mixture on to the cupcakes because of the Oreo bits, but if you have a piping nozzle big enough for the bits to get through, then it is worth a try.

Step 16
You can decorate the cakes with half a whole Oreo if desired.

Step 17
Serve with a piping-hot cup of tea.

Step 18
To order a copy for £15.19 with free UK p&p, go to guardian.